Jacopo Cerutti and Team Aprilia Tuareg Racing write another memorable page of Africa Eco Race history. With an extraordinary win in the eleventh stage, Cerutti took the 2025 Africa Eco Race title, giving Team Aprilia Tuareg Racing their second consecutive title in this iconic rally raid.
The eleventh stage took the riders into Senegal, from Nouakchott to Mpal, for the timed section in the Sahelian Savannah through a mixture of sandy trails and complex navigation. The final standings were announced at the Mpal bivouac, since the eleventh stage is the last one valid for the rankings ahead of the triumphant procession on Sunday with the legendary Lac Rose as the destination.
After closing the gap behind the overall leader to just nine seconds with his extraordinary victory in the tenth stage, Jacopo Cerutti started first, blazing the trail, with the goal of overturning the results of the rally in the final decisive timed section for the standings. With a fast pace, Cerutti won the stage with a 35’’ advantage, also taking the title of 2025 Africa Eco Race Champion for the second year in a row. With this result, the Aprilia Tuareg Rally confirms its status as the bike to beat and Cerutti as the rider to beat, despite the physical difficulties he faced in the final stages with extraordinary resilience.
Francesco Montanari finished the eleventh stage fourth overall, +4’03’’ behind the leader, and he is now forty-first in the overall standings, partly because of a DNF in the tenth stage. Marco Menichini, on the other hand, finished eighth overall, +8’04’’ behind the winner, consolidating his sixth place in the overall standings and also taking the win for the Under 25 category. Both riders confirmed increasingly higher performance throughout the 2025 Africa Eco Race, further reinforcing the competitiveness of Team Aprilia Tuareg Racing.
This second consecutive title and the positive results achieved by all the Aprilia Tuareg Racing riders confirm the versatile features and reliability of the Tuareg Rally in an environment with extreme conditions, such as those experienced in the 2025 edition of the Africa Eco Race.
JACOPO CERUTTI
“This win has a special flavour. Today I started really well and I knew I would have to give one hundred percent to close the gap. It was a hard race, full of unexpected surprises, but the team and I knew how to react in every situation. I wish to dedicate this win to the team and their tireless efforts. Winning the Africa Eco Race for the second consecutive year is a dream.”
MASSIMO RIVOLA
“We must celebrate Jacopo and the Aprilia Tuareg Rally who proved to be highly competitive. We should point out Jacopo’s ability to tackle challenges, in spite of the numerous misadventures such as the issues with the mousse in his rear tyre, the organisation’s navigation instrument which didn’t work, and the gastrointestinal virus. He did something truly special, keeping us all on the edge of our seats until the end – not only Aprilia fans, but all motorsport enthusiasts. This win is even more valuable when you consider that he started this stage from behind in the overall standings. Congratulations to Jacopo and Team Guareschi, who never gave up all the way to the end.”
