POL TARRES FORCED TO WITHDRAW ON MOTORCYCLE AND BENOIT FRETIN WINS ON FOUR WHEELS
The second day of the Africa Eco Race unfolded with a stage linking Tarda to Tagounite, covering a distance of 358 km, including 319 km of selective sector. Competitors faced typical Southern Moroccan tracks, combining rocky sections with sand. The first dunes of this edition made their appearance.
A tough blow for Pol Tarres
The standout event of the day was the withdrawal of Pol Tarres, who suffered a crash at kilometer 111. The Yamaha rider was found unconscious moments after the fall by Guillaume Borne, who immediately called for assistance. Quickly taken care of by the medical helicopter, the Andorran rider was evacuated with bruised ribs and leg hematomas. Forced to abandon the race, Pol Tarres leaves the Africa Eco Race to begin his recovery.
Motorcycle results: Italian triple win
On two wheels, the Italians dominated the stage. Alessandro Botturi, riding his Yamaha Ténéré 700, took the stage victory, finishing 3 minutes ahead of Jacopo Cerutti (Aprilia), winner of the first special stage and starting first this morning, followed by Francesco Montanari (Aprilia). At the end of this second day, Botturi takes the lead in the overall standings, ahead of Cerutti (Aprilia Tuareg). Guillaume Borne's impressive performance on his Husqvarna allows him to climb to third place in the overall rankings.
Car results: Benoit Fretin shines
In the car category, Benoit Fretin proved the fastest at the wheel of his Century CR6, also claiming the overall lead. He praised the stage, describing it as “very fast at the start, allowing us to hit the limiter at 168 km/h, which is the imposed limit. A few dunes allowed us to ensure we hadn’t lost our touch, even though we lost 5 minutes due to a small navigation error. The final section was quite rough, likely due to last autumn’s bad weather.” Vincent Vroninks finished second, while Pierre Lafay, winner of the first day, came in third after losing around ten minutes due to a puncture and difficulties in setting up the jack. This podium accurately reflects the provisional overall standings.
Truck category: a close contest
In the heavyweight category, Gerrit Zuurmond took the win with his MAN, finishing five minutes ahead of William de Van Groningen in his Iveco. In the overall standings, the two Dutch competitors are separated by just one minute, promising a fierce competition in the stages to come.
Historic category: Eric and Tom Clayes in the lead
Participants in the historic category covered 180 km in regularity zones. Eric and Tom Clayes stood out, leaving behind the teams of Kurt Dujardin / René Declerq and Fabrice and Magali Morin. Eric Clayes particularly appreciated “the great variety of landscapes encountered today, with vast open stretches and ample space for our machines to perform under superb conditions, with a final ZR that was particularly fast, like a WRC stage.”
The second stage of the 2025 Africa Eco Race delivered on all its promises, offering plenty of twists and exceptional performances.
