The fourth stage of the Africa Eco Race took the participants from Touizgui to Laâyoune via a route of 499 km including 486 km special stage. The vast desert landscapes, interspersed with dunes and camel grass, presented a real technical challenge for the participants. Navigation proved decisive in this flat and inhospitable terrain.
Botturi regains the lead
The battle at the top of the motorcycles between Yamaha and Aprilia is becoming increasingly intense. Alessandro Botturi (Yamaha) delivered a strong performance, with a final time of 5:24:36. He was followed less than 3 minutes behind by Jacopo Cerutti (Aprilia). The Norwegian Pål Anders Ullevålseter (KTM) finished third, more than 24 minutes behind. This marks a strong comeback for Ullevålseter, winner of the 2016 edition.
Alessandro Botturi reflected after the stage: “It was a long and tough stage, but I’m back in the lead, ahead of Jacopo. The strategy and navigation worked well today. It was a good day.”
Pål Anders Ullevålseter: “A great day for me, but the last 100 kilometres were very tough, with complicated navigation. This is an area where, if you get lost, you can stay lost for a long time, without any landmarks. I didn’t get lost, but I had to slow down to be sure of the right route.”
In the general classification, Botturi takes the lead with only 1’28 ahead of Cerutti. Ullevålseter rises to third place, 1h34 behind the leader. Notably, the provisional podium brings together three former winners of the Africa Eco Race: Cerutti (2023), Botturi (2020, 2019) and Ullevålseter (2016, 2015), highlighting the experience and skill of these competitors.
Benoît Fretin unstoppable
Benoît Fretin continues to dominate in the car category, winning his third consecutive stage in a time of 5:17:17. Tomas Ourednicek finished 4 minutes and 34 seconds later, followed by Belgian Vincent Vroninks at 5 minutes and 23 seconds. This podium mirrored the results of the previous day, confirming the fierce competition among the top three riders.
The Dutchmen came through the stage well. Martijn van den Broek managed to secure a respectable fifth place in his Can-Am SSV. He had the following to say afterwards: “The day went by super fast. It was 80% full throttle. The cars have the advantage, because they are allowed to go 170 and we (in an SSV editorial office) only 130 kilometers per hour.”
Wietse Tates finished in tenth place with the Bowler Wildcat. The debutants drive at their own pace and have managed to reach the finish neatly every day so far.
Winner Fretins after the stage: “A difficult special stage: we got stuck in the sand and lost 7 to 8 minutes to get out. Then the visibility towards the west was not great because of the setting sun. But we are having so much fun in this Africa Eco Race—much better than sitting in the office! Especially today, when we reached the maximum permitted speed several times.”
In the general classification, Fretin increases his lead by more than 30 minutes on Vincent Vroninks. Tomas Ourednicek is in third place, almost 43 minutes behind.
Van Groningen recovers
After mechanical problems yesterday, William Van Groningen (Iveco) delivered an excellent performance in the trucks by winning the stage with a lead of 5 minutes and 56 seconds over rival Gerrit Zuurmond (MAN).
In the general classification, Zuurmond maintains a comfortable lead of 1h50 over Van Groningen. The latter, however, proves that he is not yet defeated.
Historic category: no changes in the desert
In the historic category, there are no changes in the general classification. Eric and Tom Clayes (Toyota Land Cruiser 73) remain in the lead, followed by Kurt Dujardyn and René Declercq (Bombardier Iltis) and Fabrice and Magali Morin (Toyota). Participants praised the beautiful landscape and the ideal conditions for their classic vehicles to shine.
A glimpse of the adventure ahead
This stage showed everything that makes the Africa Eco Race so magical: breathtaking landscapes, varied terrain and fierce competition. As the rally continues its journey south, tensions remain high in all categories. Tomorrow, competitors will head to Dakhla for a 629km stage, 431km of which will be special, with fast and sandy tracks. The following day, a well-deserved rest day, dedicated to mechanical maintenance and physical recovery, awaits before the battle in Mauritania begins in the second week.