You have to feel a little bit of sympathy for Yamaha racer Alessandro Botturi. Sure, he's been riding in the top three all throughout the 2024 Africa Eco Race so far. He's won multiple stages, too. In fact, he's performed so well that he was the rare rider who hadn't had any time penalties assessed against him during this event; that is, until Stage Nine.
For the stage, the 2024 Africa Eco Race field did a loop around the city of Amodjar in Mauritania. A beautiful place, but also a hot and challenging one for the riders. Technically, Botturi did finish ahead of his two closest rivals. However, a six-minute speed penalty knocked his time back down, and it was Jacopo Cerutti on his Aprilia Tuareg 660 that picked up the official stage win.
