The feature-length documentary follows the epic adventures of riders Tarrés and Botturi as they tackle one of the most demanding rally raid events in the world on their production-based Ténéré Word Raid twin-cylinder adventure bikes in only their second race as a team.
For 47-year-old Italian Botturi, a multiple Dakar Rally finisher, the AER holds a very special place in his heart. Winner of the previous two editions of the race, he has spent most of his life navigating the deserts of North Africa and came into the event on the back of winning the team's maiden rally raid, the Tunisia Desert Challenge (TDC), earlier in the year.
As a counterpoint to his experience, for the 29-year-old Andorran former hard enduro and trials rider Tarrés, it was only his second rally. However, on his debut in Tunisia, he had already given notice of his skill and pace on the Ténéré and had been working hard between races to improve.
Award-Nominated “The Great Adventure” Coming Soon to Amazon Prime
Award-Nominated “The Great Adventure” Coming Soon to Amazon Prime
Coming soon to Amazon Prime, The Great Adventure documents the extraordinary exploits of the Yamaha Ténéré World Raid Team’s Alessandro Botturi and Pol Tarres as they take on the challenge of the 2022 Africa Eco Race (AER). The hour-long documentary, produced by Yamaha Motor Europe and directed by Francesco Teo, has also been nominated for an award at the prestigious International Motor Film Awards.
Starting in Monaco, the route of the 2022 AER covered almost 6000km across 12 stages through Morocco, Mauritania, and Senegal, before finishing at the legendary Lac Rose in Dakar. Tackling some of the most demanding terrain on the planet whilst having to endure extreme heat and humidity, the AER also saw Tarrés and Botturi take on Mauritania's infamous and relentless dunes, the ultimate test of man and machine.
The rally proved to be a true rollercoaster of emotions for the entire team and saw incredible ups and downs for both riders. Botturi stormed to an inaugural victory on Stage 2. Then, in complete contrast, after some bad luck on Stage 8, he found himself stuck in the searing heat of the dunes for more than 24 hours, awaiting rescue.
Tired, dehydrated, and forced to miss a stage, lesser characters would have thrown in the towel, but the experienced Botturi showed incredible fortitude and determination to get back on his machine and mount a fightback during the final stages.
For Tarrés, it was the race where he announced himself as a serious new talent in the world of rally raid. Consistently quick, he recorded his career first podium after finishing Stage 9 in third place before becoming the first person in history to complete every kilometre of the AER on a twin-cylinder adventure bike.
Sensationally, Tarrés took the class victory in only his second rally and finished fifth overall, while Botturi completed a remarkable comeback by crossing the finish line alongside Lac Rose with his teammate to make it a 1-2 in class for Yamaha.
This no-holds-barred documentary spends time with both riders, exploring their motivations for wanting to take on such a daunting challenge. Never before-seen footage highlights the deep-seated spirit of adventure required to take on such an arduous event and showcases the incredible camaraderie between the duo that helped them deal with every obstacle and setback encountered.
Invoking memories of Cyril Neveu’s victory for Yamaha in the maiden Paris-Dakar rally in 1979, The Great Adventure will allow viewers to experience all the emotions alongside Botturi and Tarrés as they battle adversity to complete their goal of reaching the finish line, bringing the Ténéré back to its spiritual African home.
The documentary will also take viewers behind the scenes with the team to see exactly what it takes to compete in such a gruelling event. Plus, giving an exclusive insight into the development of the GYTR-kitted Ténéré 700 World Raid by engineers at Yamaha Motor R&D Europe, showing just what it takes to transform a road-going adventure bike into a desert-conquering machine.
The Great Adventure has already been nominated in the Best Documentary Feature category alongside some illustrious competition at the 10th anniversary of the International Motor Film Awards, which take place on the 21st of September at Alexandra Palace in London, England.
Director Marketing and Motorsport, Yamaha Motor Europe
“Racing has been an integral part of Yamaha’s DNA since our foundation seven decades ago, and obviously, the first thing everyone thinks about when it involves competition is winning. This is, of course, also our primary goal. However, racing is so much more. It is about challenging your own limits just as much as the ones of your machine. It is a team effort where the riders are just the final step of a process that involves a huge amount of work by the mechanics and engineers, both at home and during the race. If there is a discipline which highlights this process more than others, it is rally raid. It is a sport that, since the beginning of the original Paris-Dakar Rally, also includes discovering unknown landscapes, truly invoking the real spirit of adventure. Since the new Ténéré was launched, we have been thinking about bringing it back to its North African routes, to the legendary dunes of “that” desert where so many memories were generated. The Africa Eco Race gave us that opportunity and the equally important objective of raising awareness for Riders for Health, whose mission is to bring aid to people in rural African areas that can only be reached by motorcycle. Our riders have exceeded our expectations, taking on the role not only of racers but also ambassadors at the same time, as well as becoming great teammates. And finally, we also secured the victory and a Yamaha 1-2 in class. I am therefore particularly proud that this adventure will be available for all to share with us on Amazon Prime, the first of many more, hopefully.”
Join Botturi and Tarrés at the 2023 Africa Eco Race
After such monumental exploits in 2022, Yamaha Motor Europe and Riders for Health, powered by Two Wheels for Life, are giving two people the chance to join the Ténéré World Raid Team on the 2023 AER. The team works in partnership with the charity to raise awareness of their tremendous work in supplying, managing, and maintaining motorcycles for health-focused operations in Africa.
The incredible prize on offer includes return flights to Dakar, Senegal for two people, two nights bed and breakfast at the 5-star King Fahed hotel in Dakar, plus the chance to meet and greet the Ténéré World Raid Team during the podium ceremony at Lac Rose. To find out more, and to enter the prize draw, click here.
