The Ténéré Yamaha Rally Team, in partnership with Riders for Health (powered by Two Wheels for Life), experienced a mixed day on Stage 4 at the Africa Eco Race. There was joy as Gautier Paulin secured his first podium in the motorcycle category at the rally and Ténéré Spirit Experience riders António Maio and Mike Weidemann made it three Ténérés in the top four after finishing the special in third and fourth, respectively, but also heartbreak as Alessandro Botturi suffered a technical issue just 12 km from the end of the stage and lost over an hour.
Stage 4 of the 2026 Africa Eco Race (AER) saw competitors leave the bivouac in Assa and tackle a 483 km special that featured a real mix of terrain as the rally headed towards the Atlantic Ocean, before a short 5 km liaison to the bivouac on the East coast of Morocco in Khnifiss.
Paulin, who is competing in his first AER in the motorcycle category, enjoyed another superb stage. The former MXGP rider continued his rapid adaptation to rally raid and kept his run of improving results every day, securing his maiden AER podium in the motorcycle class after winning the 2024 edition of the race in the car category. The 35-year-old French rider finished the special on his Ténéré 700 Rally in a time of five hours, 18 minutes, and 43 seconds, and is now fifth overall in the general classification, just seven minutes and 23 seconds off the lead.
In contrast, it was a tough day for his teammate Botturi. The 50-year-old Italian was flying on the stage and had opened up a gap at the front at the final waypoint, but disaster struck just 12 km before the finish line. Unfortunately, a minor electrical issue on the bike forced him to stop, and he could not get it started again. Just when it looked like he might have to retire from the rally, in a true show of sportsmanship, Ténéré Spirit Experience (TSE) rider Nicolas Charlier, himself a stage winner at the AER in 2025, showed up to save the day.
Sacrificing his own time, he stopped to help Botturi, tying a short rope between the two bikes and towing and pushing him all the way to the finish line. This meant that despite losing just over an hour, the Italian is still in the rally and sits ninth in the overall standings, one hour, seven minutes, and 18 seconds behind the leader.
There were more superb displays from the TSE riders, with three of the top four bikes on the stage Ténérés. Portuguese rider António Maio, himself an experienced Dakar competitor, showed his class by finishing second before receiving a two-minute penalty for speeding that dropped him back to third, while German Mike Weidemann was fourth and his compatriot Kevin Gallas seventh.
This means that Gallas leads the way for Yamaha in the general classification in fourth, six minutes and 44 seconds behind the leader, with Weidemann in sixth and Maio in seventh.
Stage 5 is the longest stage of the rally, as the bivouac heads down the east coast of Morocco towards Dakhla. Starting with a 204 km liaison, the riders then face a special stage featuring 396 km of soft sand and fast rocky trails, before a 168 km liaison to the bivouac in Dakhla, where the team will enjoy a rest day.
Stage 4 Results
General Classification After Stage 4
Gautier Paulin – P5 – 12h53m09s
Ténéré Yamaha Rally Team
“Obviously, today I was gutted for Alessandro, but he will come back fighting. Personally, I am feeling better each day on the Ténéré 700 Rally. I spent some time in this stage, leading the way; it was tricky, but a good experience. As my confidence with the roadbook grows, I feel I can push more and more, but I am determined not to make any major mistakes, which is the constant compromise you have to make in rally raid. The whole team is determined to fight back after Alessandro’s bad luck, and with a long fifth stage, it gives us the perfect platform to try and attack and claw back some time.”
Alessandro Botturi – P9 – 13h53m04s
Ténéré Yamaha Rally Team
“Today was tough to take. I felt great on the Ténéré and was opening up a nice gap at the front when, unfortunately, just 12 km from the end of the stage, I suffered a minor electrical issue on the bike that forced me to stop, and I couldn’t restart it. I was stranded, but then Nicolas came along to save the day. He towed and pushed me to the finish line, allowing me to continue the rally. I want to say thank you to Nicolas; it was a great act of sportsmanship, as he lost a considerable amount of time helping me, and I am extremely grateful. It is good to see the spirit of rally raid is still alive and well. Now, I am over an hour behind the leaders in the general classification, but there is still a very long way to go, so I will come out fighting and try to make up time over the next few stages, and then see where we are.”
Marc Bourgeois
Ténéré Yamaha Rally Team – Team Manager
“This was a tough stage. Alessandro was riding so well and was leading the stage by a good margin when, with just 12 km to go, he had a minor electrical issue with the bike. Unfortunately, this meant he was stuck, but, in a great display of sportsmanship, TSE rider Nicolas Charlier selflessly sacrificed his own stage time to come to the rescue. This is the true spirit of rally raid, and I want to say bravo and thank you to Nicolas. Despite Alessandro losing just over an hour, there is still a very long way to go, and as we know, anything can happen in rally raid. Gautier produced another impressive performance and has improved on every stage as he learns the roadbook skills needed in a rally. His navigation is getting better every day, and this means we are starting to see his true pace and potential. It was also a great stage for the other TSE riders, with António on the podium, Mike in fourth, and Kevin producing another strong ride to finish in seventh. Stage 5 features long liaisons and a very tough special, so we are going to attack and try to close the gap to the overall leaders.”
