Italian enduro and rally ace Alessandro Botturi masters the Merzouga Rally in Morocco.
Yamaha Racing Yamalube’s Alessandro Botturi claimed the overall win in the 2015 Merzouga Rally southeastern Morocco, winning Stage Four and beating his competitors in the final time tally by a mere 57 seconds.
The Italian started the rally together with 74 pro quad and motorcycle contestants on a rally route that measured just over 1269 kilometers in the Merzouga Desert. He was only fifth fastest after the opening stage, which led the field across three Ergs (sand mountains), the Ergs Chebbi, Snaguy and Rissani, bug he improved to fourth place in Stage 2, which ran part of the old Dakar Rally route the Boudnib plateau. Botturi crashed during the stage, but he was fortunate to suffer neither serious damage to his motorcycle or his body.
Stage 3, was a 153-kilometer marathon stage that featured tricky navigation. Botturi again finished fifth, but he got some help after several riders were forced to retire.
Botturi then turned up the heat on his rivals in Stage 4, in which he rode to a solid win moved up to second place in the standings, thus reducing his overall deficit to less than 2 minutes. A trouble-free final stage that consisted of two laps around the 45-kilometer ring in the famous Erg Chebbi allowed him to take the lead and claim the win.
“The race was tough with lots of navigation, and sand parts,” Botturi said. “All stages of the rally were very difficult, very hot and lots of dunes, making navigation vital, but there were also some stones. I tried to be as consistent as I could and finally it paid off! The bike was reliable and strong, even if there still needs some final details to be completely ready for our big rendezvous with the next Dakar. I really want to thank Yamaha and the whole team who did great efforts to grab this victory, the very first African rally one for me!”
Yamaha Racing Yamalube Team Director Alexandre Kowalski added that Botturi’s result is encouraging as the team continues its preparation for the 2016 Dakar Rally in January.
“We proved that the riders are consistent [team rider Adrien Van Beveren finished seventh overall] and the bike is in good shape and is developing in the right direction. We still need to work on some little things, but coming here after the [OiLibya] Morocco Rally was very positive because we got some good information from the track, and now we have some more ideas how to set up the bike for the next Dakar rally.”
Your Privacy Choices