A smashing return to desert racing for Aprilia when Jacopo Cerutti won the first stage of the Africa Eco Race in Morocco with the Aprilia Tuareg. Riding across the desert from Nador to Boudnib, Cerutti signalled Aprilia’s commitment to its ambitious “Back to Africa” project, with the goal of competing in the great African rally raids.
598 km long, the first stage had riders facing 174 km of special trials at the end of which, Jacopo Cerutti managed to create a gap of almost 2 minutes. Cerutti’s closest rivals were, Alessandro Botturi and Pol Tarres, both on Yamaha.
Francesco Montanari, Cerrito’s team mate, finished the day in eleventh place, just over 15 minutes behind. With its last victory in the Dakar Rally during the 2010 to 2012 period, Aprilia’s participation in desert racing signifies its off-road racing prowess after two decades.
In Malaysia, the Aprilia Tuareg 660 retails at RM75,900 CBU, excluding road tax, insurance and registration. Power comes from a liquid-cooled, DOHC, eight-valve, parallel-twin displacing 659 cc, rated at 80 hp at 9,250 rpm with 70 Nm of peak torque at 6,500 rpm.
Tipping the scales at 204 kg, the Tuareg 660 carries 18-litres of fuel in the tank with seat height set at 860 mm. Closest rival in Malaysia to the Tuareg 660 is the Yamaha Tenere 700, launched in Malaysia in September 2023 and priced at RM69,988.
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