Maiden Rally-Raid Stage win for Gautier Paulin at 2026 Africa Eco Race

The Tenere Yamaha Rally Team secured its first-ever one-two as Gautier Paulin takes a maiden Rally-Raid victory on stage six of the 2026 Africa Eco Race.

Stage six of the 2026 Africa Eco Race (AER) travelled 438km from Dakhla to the Mauritanian border and a 153km special stage of soft sand and fast trails to reach the bivouac in Chami in the second week of this “original” rally raid.

Former MXGP rider Gautier Paulin is competing in his first AER in the motorcycle category after winning the 2024 edition in the car class, and claims a maiden victory on Tenere 700 Rally in a time of one hour, 11 minutes, and 23 seconds.

This was the Tenere Yamaha Rally Team’s third victory from six stages at the AER with Kevin Gallas and Alessandro Botturi also topping the time sheets.

Jean-Loup Lepan continues to lead the overall on a KTM by 1:48 ahead of Thomas Marini on a Husqvarna and Jacopo Cerutti 58s back in third on an Aprilia.

Finishing the stage in 12th having led away following his stage five victory, Gallas in is a strong position to challenge for overall victory conceding only three minutes to the rally leader.

General Classification After Stage 6 (top 10):

Stage highlights:

Photo Credit: Yamaha Europe