Last January Aprilia Tuareg wrote one of the most epic pages in the recent history of the great African raids: the Italian twin-cylinder made its absolute debut in the desert, with Jacopo Cerutti in the saddle, he dominated the Africa Eco Race 2024. An extraordinary ride, with Jacopo and his Tuareg always in the lead, for all over 6,000 km of the legendary route that leads from Europe to Dakar, Senegal, crossing Morocco and Mauritania .
A historic undertaking that is told in a splendid documentary created by Piaggio Studios in collaboration with Punctum Image: APRILIA TUAREG QUEEN OF AFRICA, previewed last June 8th during the big Aprilia All Stars party, is now available to everyone, online on the Aprilia.com website and on the official Aprilia YouTube channel. The video condenses in just over 20 minutes a universe of emotions through the most beautiful images of the race and the words of the protagonists: the riders, Jacopo Cerutti and Francesco Montanari, and the brothers Vittoriano and Gianfranco Guareschi of GCorse, the operational arm of Aprilia Racing on the competition field.
This is a challenging and demanding production, with the crew mingling with the team, following the protagonists for two weeks, from the preparations on the eve of the departure, to the celebrations on the shores of the legendary Pink Lake of Dakar. The documentary explores in 360° the sensations, expectations, difficulties and fears experienced by the drivers and team throughout the entire arc of a race as fascinating as it is unpredictable. An unprecedented and deeply human look, behind the scenes of a unique challenge of its kind, for men and means.
The video also retraces the victories in the first two days, which allowed Cerutti to accumulate and then expertly manage the advantage against very strong opponents such as Botturi and Tarres, both on Yamaha, who constantly attacked, in search of a comeback.
Very strong emotions also for Francesco Montanari, absolute rookie, capable of reaching the finish line of Dakar with two stage podiums, a constant presence in the high areas of the special classifications and a magnificent eighth final place.
The wonderful images captured during the 12 days spent in the African desert also reveal the great respect between the rivals and the strong sense of community that is created among all the participants in the raid. Good vision!
