The Great Adventure embodies all the hardships, emotions and successes that Alessandro Botturi & Pol Tarres’ undertook participating in the legendary routes of the Africa Eco Race, which closely follow the ones of the original Paris-Dakar. A motorsport adventure from a different angle, focused on the raw emotions of the drivers and on the landscapes, roads and villages that they traverse in this challenging yet rewarding rally raid. A tale of two drivers tackling one of the biggest challenges in motorsport and becoming more mature and self-aware men.1
streaming on Amazon Prime ITA and UK, The Great Adventure documents the extraordinary exploits of the Yamaha Ténéré World Raid Team’s Alessandro Botturi and Pol Tarres as they take on the challenge of the 2022 Africa Eco Race (AER). The hour-long documentary, produced by Yamaha Motor Europe and directed by Francesco Teo, has also been nominated for an award at the prestigious International Motor Film Awards.
2022 AER kicked off in Monaco, traversing 6.000km across 12 stages between Morocco, Mauritania, and Senegal. The goal? Reaching the finish line at the legendary Lac Rose in Dakar, Tackling some of the most demanding terrain on the planet, whilst having to endure extreme heat and humidity, Tarrés and Botturi took on Mauritania's infamous and relentless dunes, the ultimate test for both man and machine. The rally proved to be a true rollercoaster of emotions for the entire team and saw incredible highs and lows for both riders. Botturi stormed to an inaugural victory on Stage 2. However, after some bad luck on Stage 8, he found himself stuck in the scorching heat of the dunes for more than 24 hours, awaiting rescue. Tired, dehydrated, and forced to miss a stage, most people would have thrown in the towel, but the experienced Botturi showed incredible fortitude and determination to get back on his machine and mount a comeback during the final stages. At the same time, for Tarrés, it was the race where he announced himself as a new talent and as a serious contender in the world of rally raid. With a consistent quick pace, he recorded his first career podium, finishing Stage 9 in third place. Another remarkable feat never done before, he completed every kilometre of the AER on a twin-cylinder adventure bike. Remarkably, Tarrés achieved victory in his class in only his second rally, finishing fifth overall. Botturi managed to complete his own comeback, crossing the finish line in Lac Rose alongside his teammate, making it a 1-2 in class for Yamaha.
“Racing has been an integral part of Yamaha’s DNA since our foundation seven decades ago, and, obviously, the first thing everyone thinks about when it’s about competition, is winning. This is, of course, our primary goal. However, racing is so much more. It is about challenging your own limits just as much as the ones of your machine. It is a team effort where the riders are just the final step of a process that involves a huge amount of work by the mechanics and engineers, both at home and during the race. If there is a discipline which highlights this process more than others, it is rally raid. It is a sport that, since the beginning of the original Paris-Dakar Rally, also includes discovering unknown landscapes, truly invoking the real spirit of adventure. Since the new Ténéré was launched, we have been thinking about bringing it back to its North African routes, to the legendary dunes of “that” desert where so many memories were generated. The Africa Eco Race gave us that opportunity and the equally important objective of raising awareness for Riders for Health, whose mission is to bring aid to people in rural African areas that can only be reached by motorcycle. Our riders have exceeded our expectations, taking on the role not only of racers but also ambassadors at the same time, as well as becoming great teammates. And finally, we also secured the victory and a Yamaha 1-2 in class. I am therefore particularly proud that this adventure will be available for all to share with us on Amazon Prime, the first of many more, hopefully.”
— Paolo Pavesio
“The film has been an exciting challenge in every aspect. Together with my team, we made a major creative and production effort with the goal of making the story work, highlighting the emotions of the riders while showcasing all the steps Yamaha took to embark on an adventure which, to succeed, must leave nothing to chance. A huge, tiring, challenging but extremely rewarding project, which led us from the routes of the Eco Race to our editing studios and then on to our very own ‘great adventure’, the promotion and distribution phases of the film. A distribution that allowed us to be present in the Italian and English versions of Amazon Prime Video in SVOD mode (free content for subscribers) and allowed us to participate in the MOTOR FILM FESTIVAL, where we received an incredible nomination with BEST DOCUMENTARY. A journey that reminded us of the drivers, who taught us a lot in facing with patience and willpower the challenges we encountered and still encounter today, so that as many people as possible could see this film to which we dedicated time, soul and passion.”
