Maio leads Yamaha charge with Stage 1 win at Addax Rally

António Maio clinches the opening-stage victory for Ténéré Yamaha at the Addax Rally in Morocco, as teammate Alessandro Botturi shows winning pace before a penalty drops him down the order.

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The Ténéré Yamaha Rally Team kicked off the Addax Rally in Morocco with a statement performance, as Portuguese rider António Maio claimed victory on the opening stage aboard the Ténéré 700 Rally. Backed by Riders for Health (powered by Two Wheels for Life), Yamaha’s rally effort made a strong return to desert competition. Maio led the overall classification, and teammate Alessandro Botturi showed front-running pace before a penalty cost him a potential win.

Strong Start in the Moroccan Sands

Competitors faced a demanding first day featuring a 54.8 km prologue through soft dunes and a 149 km stage across a mix of sandy ridges and rocky tracks toward Begaa and Erg Znagui. With difficult navigation and deceptive waypoints, precision proved as valuable as outright speed.

In only his first competitive outing on the Ténéré 700 Rally, Maio demonstrated remarkable composure. The multi-time Portuguese Cross Country Champion and Dakar veteran finished the prologue in third before conquering Stage 1 in 2 hours 10 minutes 31 seconds, giving him a 2-minute 56-second lead in the general classification.

Botturi’s Speed Marred by Penalty

Italian rally stalwart Botturi underlined Yamaha’s potential by setting the fastest time on the stage before a 15-minute penalty for missing a hidden waypoint dropped him to fifth in the results and fourth overall, 11 minutes 40 seconds behind Maio.

Strong Day for Ténéré Spirit Experience Riders

It was also a productive start for Yamaha’s customer-rider contingent under the Ténéré Spirit Experience (TSE) banner. Mike Weidemann finished second on Stage 1, Kevin Gallas placed fourth, and Bertrand Gavand secured a top-ten spot, putting five Ténéré machines inside the first ten positions.

Team manager Marc Bourgeois praised the squad’s collective effort:

“It was a challenging day with complex navigation and a waypoint that caught many riders. António adapted brilliantly to the bike, and Botturi showed top-class pace despite his bad luck. Having all five Ténérés in the top ten proves the strength of our package.”

Eyes on Stage 2

Day Two of the Addax Rally brings the event’s longest test, 388.9 km across Morocco’s southern desert, from the fast plains of Taouz to the deep sands of Ramlia. With navigation again expected to be decisive, Yamaha’s riders will look to consolidate their strong start and keep the blue Ténérés at the sharp end of the leaderboard.