EXTRAORDINARY PERFORMANCE ALSO FOR THE ROOKIE FRANCESCO MONTANARI, FIFTH AND WITH HIS BEST PLACE IN THE RALLY
Chami, 8 January 2024 – After the well-deserved day of rest, the Africa Eco Race restarted today with the sixth stage, from Dakhla, in Morocco, to Chami, in Mauritania. Both Aprilia Tuaregs, ridden by Jacopo Cerutti and Francesco Montanari, were once again great protagonists with Cerutti second and still leader in the general classification, and the debutant Montanari author of an extraordinary performance, fifth and his best result since the start of the rally.
In today’s 204 km of special stage Cerutti once again battled with his direct rivals in the standings, Alessandro Botturi and Pol Tarres. The driver from Como reached the finish line in second place, 1’07” behind the Spaniard, while he distanced Botturi by 45″. Overall, the three-way battle becomes increasingly exciting, with Cerutti’s Tuareg maintaining the lead with 1’58” over Tarres and 3 minutes over Botturi, both on Yamaha.
For Aprilia it was another day worth remembering, with both Tuaregs at the top thanks to the fifth place of Francesco Montanari, just 3’58” behind the winner. The rider from Como, making his debut in an extraordinarily demanding raid, thus achieved his best result since the start of the race, also climbing to sixth place in the general classification.
The seventh stage is scheduled for tomorrow, which will develop through a circular route with departure and arrival in Chami, for a total of 475 km, of which 454 are special.
Jacopo Cerutti: “It was a strange stage, the route was mostly straight, but it was difficult to spot the tracks which made navigation tricky. In these conditions I preferred to manage without taking too many risks, so second position is fine for today, I didn’t lose much ground on my opponents. Let’s already look to tomorrow’s stage!”
Automatic translation of the Italian version
Source: Aprilia Racing
