OUR TEAM
WHO WE ARE
YAMAHA TÉNÉRÉ RALLY TEAM
The Yamaha Ténéré Rally Team was born of the pure spirit of rally-raiding: adventure, navigation and the legend of Paris-Dakar.
Following in the footsteps of heroes like Cyril Neveu and Stéphane Peterhansel, we now take the Ténéré 700 on the most demanding rallies, a bike whose DNA has evolved, but whose soul remains the same.
Between tradition and modernity, part of our history was written with the Monster Energy Yamaha Rally Team, the former official 450cc structure. This expertise has shaped our vision: to develop an ever-higher-performance Ténéré, capable of tackling the most hostile terrain.
Today, the Yamaha Ténéré Rally Team embodies this mission: to push back the limits of the Ténéré 700, to prove its racing potential, and to keepYamaha's rally-raid heritage alive.
Our rally-raid Ténéré 700
Since the Carta Rallye 2025, we have hired a Ténéré 700 Rally directly derived from the 2025 model available to the public, but specially prepared for the demands of competition:
Reinforced carbon navigation tower
Carbon protectors and sides
Front tank 26 L
GYTR rear tank 13.6 L
High-strength carbon shoe
Complete Rally Raid equipment package
A modern, reliable and durable machine, created for rallying and faithful to the Ténéré DNA.
Which rally-raids are we involved in?
Africa Eco Race
Africa Eco Race: 6,000 km, 12 stages to Dakar The Africa Eco Race is the big event of the year for the Yamaha Ténéré Rally Team. Over 6,000 km, 12 stages, a start from Tangier and a mythical finish at Lac Rose: this is one of the most demanding races in modern rally-raid. Here, the objective is clear: pure performance. Dunes, navigation, endurance, speed... everything comes together to push the Ténéré 700 Rally and our riders to the limit of their capabilities. A historic, committed race that perfectly embodies Yamaha's DNA in Africa.
Carta Rallye
The Carta Rally is a Moroccan rally renowned for its precision and intensity. With 7 stages and around 2,000 km between Agadir and M'Hamid, it's the perfect terrain for fine-tuning our rally-raid approach. It's here that we work on navigation, test our set-ups, and allow our drivers to perfect their pace on a variety of tracks: pebbles, fast plateaus, the dunes of southern Morocco... A demanding, formative rally, perfectly suited to preparing for major events.
OUR PILOTS AND AMBASSADORS
Every year, our structure welcomes around twenty drivers, all united by a passion for rally-raid and the Ténéré.
At the heart of the project are our two official drivers:
Alessandro Botturi and Gautier Paulin, two of the discipline’s leading figures, who compete in the most demanding rallies.
They are regularly joined by the Ténéré Spirit Experience:
Kevin Gallas, winner of the Addax Rally 2025 with us,
Dakar driverAntónio Maio,
Nicolas Charlier, and other promising European and African rally-raid drivers.
And to represent our identity, who better than Stéphane Peterhansel?
An absolute legend of rally-raid, multiple Dakar winner and living symbol of the Ténéré‘s history, he perfectly embodies the values and heritage of the Yamaha Ténéré Rally Team.
Gautier Paulin
Motocross rider Gautier Paulin has won 9 Grand Prix races in MXGP and was World Championship runner-up in 2015.
He also played a key role in France’s five consecutive victories at the Motocross of Nations from 2014 to 2018.
Alessandro Botturi
A former enduro champion, Alessandro Botturi has twice won the Africa Eco Race (2019 and 2020), as well as the Rallye de Sardaigne, the TransAnatolia and the Merzouga Rally. He has also taken part in several editions of the Dakar, with an 8th place overall and stage podiums.
Stéphane Peterhansel
Nicknamed “Monsieur Dakar,” Stéphane Peterhansel holds the record with 14 Dakar Rally wins: 6 on motorcycles and 8 in cars.
He has also won the Paris-Pekin Rally and the Rallye de Tunisie, and was the Enduro World Champion in 1997.
OUR TEAM
Behind every Ténéré 700 entered on our adventures is a passionate, experienced and dedicated team. The Yamaha Ténéré Rally Team would be nothing without its members, who take care of bike preparation, logistics and rider support in the field.
Mechanics and tuners: specializing in the Ténéré 700, they guarantee reliable, high-performance bikes ready to tackle the most extreme terrain.
Logistics and field support: transporting bikes, setting up bivouacs, organizing stages and dealing with unforeseen events.
Navigation and support: roadbook and GPS experts, they help drivers to optimize their trajectory and strategy.
Communications and media: responsible for rally coverage, social networking and promotion of the team and the Ténéré 700.
Coordinator Workshop
Mechanic
Marketing and Communications Manager
Logistics and Sales Manager
Stock Controller
OTS Factory – Suspension Specialist
