Yamaha Motor Europe is proud to announce that motocross legend Gautier Paulin will join Alessandro Botturi in the Ténéré Yamaha Rally Team, in partnership with Riders for Health (powered by Two Wheels for Life), to compete in the Africa Eco Race onboard the Ténéré 700 Rally from January 24th to February 7th. Paulin, a five-time consecutive Motocross of Nations (MXoN) winner with Team France (2014–2018), began his career racing bicycles and became a BMX World Champion by age 10. He then shifted his focus to motocross, winning the 2007 EMX2 Championship before moving up to MX2. After finishing third overall in 2009, he achieved three GP wins, seven race wins, and 18 podiums in MX2 before stepping up to MXGP in 2011.

He continued his success in the premier class, securing nine GP victories, 23 race wins, 41 podiums, and over 4,500 points. Additionally, Paulin’s five victories at the MXoN make him the most successful French rider of all time at the “Olympics of Motocross”, plus he secured another victory as the Team France Manager in 2023. 

Paulin, whose first motorcycle rally raid experience was as a guest rider on the Ténéré Yamaha Rally Team bike at the 2025 Carta Rallye, where he finished third overall and secured the class victory, is excited about this new challenge but fully aware of the hurdles ahead. While his riding ability is not in doubt, rally requires much more than pace. Stamina is key, with riders sometimes covering over 1,000 km in a single day. Still, perhaps the most significant difference is learning to use a roadbook to navigate some of the most barren landscapes imaginable.

The 35-year-old is no stranger to the Ténéré 700 Rally and has been working with the team over the last few months to help develop the race bike. Additionally, he has benefited from his teammate Botturi’s years of experience, with the Italian helping Paulin get up to speed on navigation and the other requirements to become a rally raid rider. The Frenchman has competed in the Africa Eco Race (AER) before, winning the 2024 edition in the car category.

Botturi, a multiple Dakar finisher and two-time winner of the AER in 2019 and 2020, is looking to bounce back from a heartbreaking finish at last year’s edition, where he was leading the rally until the last few kilometres, when netting became caught up in his wheels. He had to stop to remove it, and the time lost meant he agonisingly missed out on the victory by just 26 seconds. The 50-year-old is feeling confident heading into the AER after a season that saw him battle for victory at the Carta Rallye before unfortunately having to retire on the final stage, win the Swank Rally and finish second in the Italian Motorally Championship.

Traversing over 6,000 km across some of the harshest terrain on the planet, Paulin will be in for a baptism of fire at the AER, which famously follows the route of the original Paris-Dakar rallies. The 2026 edition starts in Tangiers, before crossing the Atlas Mountains and heading deep into the Sahara. Competitors then take on the endless dunes of Mauritania, before crossing into Senegal to finish by the famous Lac Rose in Dakar, with the race proving a true test of man and machine.

The duo will be joined at the AER by 12 Ténéré Spirit Experience (TSE) riders, who compete in the race alongside the official team, including Kevin Gallas, who rode the Ténéré to victory at the recent Carta Rallye, plus Antonio Maio and Mike Weidemann, who both won stages at the event. Nicholas Charlier, who won stage five of the 2025 edition of the AER, will also return, while Mr Dakar himself, 14-time winner Stephane Peterhansel, will join the team and TSE riders for a few stages during the race. The 2026 AER kicks off with technical checks and scrutineering in Tangiers from January 24th, ahead of the official race start on the 25th. They will then face five stages in Morocco, followed by a rest day in Dakhla, before crossing the border into Mauritania for another five stages. They then enter Senegal for two days before finishing in Dakar on February 7th.

Gautier Paulin
Ténéré Yamaha Rally Team
“I am so excited for this new chapter in my career. Five years ago, I stopped racing motocross professionally, but my passion for racing has never gone away, and I have been a fan of rally raid since I watched the Dakar with my father as a child. Therefore, when I had the opportunity through the Ténéré Yamaha Rally Team to help develop the new race bike, I immediately said, “Yes!” Then they invited me to take part in the Carta Rallye earlier in the year, and I was hooked. Rally raid is completely different to an MXGP race; instead of going flat out for 45 minutes, you have to manage your pace, stamina, and much more for over 6,000 km in the AER. I am under no illusions about how difficult this will be, and while I know my riding level is high, my navigation skills still need improvement. They say you need to complete 15,000 km of roadbook training before you are ready for a rally raid. I have done only 1,000-2,000 km, but the team and my teammate, Alessandro, have been fantastic at getting me up to speed. I can’t thank them enough, especially Alessandro, for all of their help. This will be a very steep learning curve for me, and I am there to support Alessandro in any way I can, and I cannot wait to get started!”

Alessandro Botturi
Ténéré Yamaha Rally Team
“Having someone like Gautier join the team is incredible. His riding level is off the charts, but it is not easy to transition from motocross to rally raid, where pace is just one of the key factors. He has been incredible in testing, and it has been a pleasure working with him on his roadbook and navigation training. He has been fully committed to every step of the process, and I believe his potential to become a leading rally raid rider is there for all to see. Personally, I feel fitter and stronger than ever, and I am more prepared than ever before. I aim to bounce back from last year’s disappointment, where I only lost in the final few kilometres and try to secure my third victory at the event, the first for the team, and the first for the Ténéré!”

Marc Bourgeois
Ténéré Yamaha Rally Team – Team Manager
“It is very exciting to welcome Gautier to the team, alongside Alessandro, for the 2026 Africa Eco Race. It will be a significant challenge for him to transition into rally raid, but he has already impressed not only with his performance at the Carta Rallye but also with his role in developing the official Ténéré 700 Rally race bike. He has been working hard behind the scenes with Alessandro and the team on his navigational skills and everything else required to become a rally raid rider, and he has shown incredible potential. Rally is a marathon, not a sprint, so it requires a completely different mindset than he is used to, but with him and Alessandro in the team, we are confident we have the perfect mix of speed and experience. Alessandro is determined to bounce back after last year, when he missed out on victory by just 26 seconds through no fault of his own. He is more determined and fitter than ever, and we are confident we can fight for the victory. We also have 12 riders joining us from the Ténéré Spirit Experience: 11 in the Race category and 1 in the Raid, who will experience all the highs and lows of rally raid alongside the team. We have been preparing for this race for the last twelve months, and we are ready to go!”