The Ténéré Yamaha Rally Team has announced its lineup for the 2027 Africa Eco Race, featuring Alessandro Botturi, Gautier Paulin, and Kevin Gallas. The German rider, winner of the 2016 edition, joins the official team after his strong performances with the Ténéré Spirit Experience program.
Yamaha will face the Africa Eco Race 2027 with three official riders, after achieving a double victory in the 2026 edition with Kevin Gallas and Gautier Paulin, separated by just 41 seconds after almost 6,000 kilometers of competition through Morocco, Mauritania and Senegal.
The main news is the addition of Gallas as an official rider. The 30-year-old German, a former Junior SuperEnduro World Champion, made his rally raid debut in 2025 and won the 2026 Africa Eco Race in only his third appearance in the discipline. In October, he also successfully defended his title at the Addax Rally in Morocco, winning three of the five stages.
“Becoming an official Yamaha rider is a very special moment for me. It has always been one of my goals as a professional rider. I believe I have earned this position and I am very excited about what’s to come,” Gallas explains.
Alongside him will continue Alessandro Botturi, 51, winner of the Africa Eco Race in 2019 and 2020. The Italian, one of the team’s most experienced drivers, finished seventh in 2016 after a technical problem took him out of contention for the win. That same year he also became the Italian Motorally champion in the G-1000 category.
The third member of the team will be Gautier Paulin, a former MXGP rider and five-time Motocross of Nations winner with France. The 36-year-old Frenchman will be tackling his second Africa Eco Race on two wheels after finishing second in 2016, with three stage wins. Paulin is already familiar with the event, having won the 2024 edition in the car category.
The three will compete with the Yamaha Ténéré 700 Rally, a twin-cylinder motorcycle that the team has continued to develop throughout 2026, including several testing sessions in Morocco.
“Our goal is to build on what we achieved in 2026 and fight for victory again. The three riders bring different qualities and have already shown that they work well together,” says Marc Bourgeois, director of the Ténéré Yamaha Rally Team.
Source: enduro21.com
