If Stage Four of the 2024 Africa Eco Race was the longest stage on this year's route, Stage Five was thankfully much shorter for the participants. The stage ran and wrapped on Saturday, January 6, with Sunday, January 7 being a designated Rest Day for all participants before they head from Morocco into Mauritania.
Amazingly, Stage Four of the 2024 AER saw both the top bike and the top car in the field complete the stage in exactly the same amount of time: three hours, 31 minutes, and 53 seconds.
For the bikes, it was Alessandro Botturi who came out on top once again, sealing the stage victory for himself and the Yamaha factory racing team. His teammate, Pol Tarrés, came in second place once again. As for Tarrés' right foot, it's apparently still bothering him, but he's more interested in toughing it out than in finding out for certain what's wrong with it. This is probably relatable content for some of us.
What about Jacopo Cerutti and his Aprilia Tuareg 660? He finished in third place for the day, but he and the two Yamahas basically stuck together and set a blistering pace throughout the entire stage. Cerutti's teammate, Francesco Montanari, finished the stage in fifth place behind KTM rider Alexandre Vaudan.
Here are the times for Stage Five:
| Rider | Team | Time |
| Alessandro Botturi | Yamaha | 3 hours, 31 minutes, 53 seconds |
| Pol Tarrés | Yamaha | +01:57 |
| Jacopo Cerutti | Aprilia | +03:57 |
| Alexandre Vaudan | KTM | +10:50 |
| Andrea Gava | Beta | +14:24 |
| Giovanni Gritti | Honda | +14:26 |
The time difference between the top three riders on Stage Five and the rest of the field isn't quite as dramatic as the overall time differences currently stand. There, you'll see that the top three riders (Cerutti, Botturi, and Tarrés) are all at least two hours ahead of their nearest competition.
Here are the overall 2024 Africa Eco Race Standings after the first five stages:
| Rider | Team | Time |
| Jacopo Cerutti | Aprilia | 20 hours, 23 minutes, 59 seconds |
| Alessandro Botturi | Yamaha | +04:15 |
| Pol Tarrés | Yamaha | +04:45 |
| Guillaume Borne | Husqvarna | +2:14:02 |
| Giovanni Gritti | Honda | +2:16:13 |
| Alexandre Vaudan | KTM | +2:59:17 |
