Aprilia Tuareg Racing has officially launched its 2026 rally raid campaign with the start of the Africa Eco Race, which got underway from Tangier on January 25. The iconic desert event marks the opening chapter of a new season for Aprilia’s off-road racing programme. Press: Aprilia Aus.

Continuing the brand’s successful “Back to Africa” project with the Tuareg Rally platform.

Following two consecutive years of domination in international rally raid competition, the Aprilia Tuareg Rally arrives in 2026 as the defending champion of the Africa Eco Race, with victories in the 2024 and 2025 editions. Over the past two seasons, the Tuareg Rally has won every major event it has entered, including Baja Aragón, Hellas Rally Raid, Ro Rally Marathon and three consecutive Italian Motorally Championships, cementing its reputation as one of the most competitive machines in the discipline.

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Developed in close collaboration with GCorse by the Guareschi brothers, the Tuareg Rally has become a benchmark for performance, reliability and versatility across varied terrain. Its sustained success has earned it the nickname “Queen of Africa”, and Aprilia Tuareg Racing now heads into the 2026 Africa Eco Race aiming to secure a third consecutive overall victory.

The 2026 rider lineup features Jacopo Cerutti, Francesco Montanari and Marco Menichini, all of whom will contest the African rally before shifting focus to a major new challenge later in the year. Following the conclusion of the Africa Eco Race in Dakar on February 7, Aprilia Tuareg Racing will make its debut in the European Tout Terrain Rally Cup, a four-round championship spanning Spain, Greece, Romania and Italy.

The move into European competition represents a natural progression for the team after dominating the Italian Motorally Championship over the past three seasons. Aprilia views the European series as a key step in expanding the Tuareg Rally’s competitive footprint beyond Africa and Italy.

The Africa Eco Race itself has begun under challenging conditions, with severe weather forcing organisers to cancel both the prologue in Tangier and the first special stage due to heavy rain, strong winds and snowfall in the Moroccan mountain regions. Competitors have instead completed an extended liaison stage to reach the first bivouac at Boussaïd, with racing set to resume from stage two.

Despite the disrupted start, Aprilia Tuareg Racing remains focused on its objectives for 2026, with strong confidence in the Tuareg Rally platform and an ambitious dual campaign spanning Africa and Europe.

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