The Ténéré Yamaha Rally Team finished the Carta Rallye 2026 in Morocco with two riders on the overall podium. Kevin Gallas was second, Gautier Paulin third and Alessandro Botturi fifth. This is according to the team report published by MX Vice on 25 April 2026. The rally took place at the end of April 2026, so the result dates back around half a year.
According to Motociclismo, Lorenzo Santolino on Sherco took the overall win in the motorcycle category. The Yamaha report does not name the winner. According to that report, Gallas finished with a total time of 25:55:47 hours, 29 minutes and 13 seconds behind the winner.
The Results at a Glance
Final overall standings for the Yamaha riders, according to the team report:
- Position 2: Kevin Gallas, total time (h:min:sec) 25:55:47
- Position 3: Gautier Paulin, 25:56:59, i.e. 1 minute and 12 seconds behind Gallas
- Position 5: Alessandro Botturi, 26:24:14
In the over-450cc class, the team took the first three places. According to Yamaha, it also did so in the class standings of each of the seven stages. For context: on the entry list published by 131 Off-Road, this class had only six motorcycles, five of them from the Ténéré Yamaha Rally Team. In the overall standings, however, the Yamaha riders had to compete against their rivals’ 450cc rally machines.
There is a discrepancy between the sources regarding Botturi’s position. The team report lists him as fifth. Motociclismo, however, writes that Gallas, Paulin and Botturi completed the first four places behind Santolino, and names Romain Dumontier (KTM) as fifth. No official results list from the organiser was available at the time of research.
Twin-Cylinder Against 450cc Single-Cylinder Machines
The Ténéré 700 Rally is based on a production twin-cylinder adventure bike. In the overall standings it competed against purpose-built factory rally bikes with 450cc single-cylinder engines, of the kind used at the Dakar. Over the course of the rally, the team says it took three stage wins and seven podium finishes in the overall results of individual stages. Paulin won stages 2 and 4, Gallas stage 3. Yamaha describes the performance as a great success. This assessment comes from the team itself.
According to the team, it was only the fourth rally raid event of Gallas’s career. At the start of the season, the German won the Africa Eco Race 2026. At the Carta Rallye, besides his win on stage 3, he also reached the podium on stages 4 and 5. Paulin, formerly a professional motocross rider, was also contesting only his fourth rally raid, according to the team. He was given a time penalty during the event, the size of which the report does not state. According to the team, Botturi picked up several penalties in the first half of the rally.
Final Stage in M’Hamid
The final stage 7 in M’Hamid comprised 107 kilometres of special stage and 14 kilometres of liaison, 121 kilometres in total. Paulin was fourth on the stage, Botturi fifth and Gallas sixth. Before this stage, according to the Yamaha report on stage 6, Gallas was 20 minutes and 59 seconds behind the leader and Paulin 29 minutes and 55 seconds. Paulin significantly reduced the gap to his team-mate on the last stage, but could not take second place from him.
By his own account, Gallas played it safe (quote translated):
“I had a nine-minute lead on Gautier and absolutely no chance of winning, so I just brought it home and did what was necessary. I lost a bit more time than I would have liked, but I’m really happy.”
Paulin said he had improved significantly with the roadbook, the navigation book containing the route description. Despite the penalty, he said he had learned a lot. Team manager Marc Bourgeois called the rally an important opportunity to train the riders and gather data on the motorcycle (translated): “We have to continue with our action plan for this year, but I am very satisfied with this race.”
Sources and Image Credits
- Ténéré Yamaha Rally Team, team report “Double Overall Podium for Ténéré Yamaha Rally Team at Carta Rallye”, published by MX Vice, 25 April 2026: mxvice.com
- The same team report at Total Motorcycle, 27 April 2026: totalmotorcycle.com
- Ténéré Yamaha Rally Team, report on stage 6, published by Total Motorcycle, 24 April 2026: totalmotorcycle.com
- Motociclismo, “Lorenzo Santolino (Sherco), ganador absoluto del Carta Rallye”, 27 April 2026: motociclismo.es
- 131 Off-Road, “2026 Carta Rallye entry list”, 18 April 2026: 131offroad.com
- Motopress, “Ténéré 700 Rally, doppio podio alla Carta Rallye 2026 in Marocco”, 25 April 2026: motopress.it
- Enduro.de, “Africa Eco Race 2026: Kevin Gallas holt sich den Gesamtsieg”, 8 February 2026: enduro.de
- Photo 1: Kevin Gallas on the Ténéré 700 Rally in the dunes, Carta Rallye 2026. Photographer: Actiongraphers (according to file name), press photo of the Ténéré Yamaha Rally Team. Original source: MX Vice, published 25 April 2026. Used as an editorial press photo.
- Photo 2: Team photo of the Ténéré Yamaha Rally Team, Carta Rallye 2026. Photographer: Actiongraphers (according to file name), press photo of the Ténéré Yamaha Rally Team. Original source: MX Vice, published 25 April 2026. Used as an editorial press photo.