Let’s talk again about the project called “Back to Africa”, designed to bring the Aprilia brand back to the great African raids, because it’s taking on a life of its own.
The two Tuaregs developed by the Noale company’s competition department in collaboration with the Guareschi brothers’ GCorse and entrusted to Jacopo Cerrutti and Francesco Montanari, will take on the demanding Transanatolia Rally from September 2 to 9. This is an important commitment for the development of the bike, which, it should be remembered, is based on the Tuareg which, strictly derived from the series, is a major protagonist in the Italian Motorcycle Championship, in which Jacopo Cerutti has already achieved four successes in the category in six races held so far, also coming close to victory overall in the first two rounds. A surprising debut for Tuareg in the tri-color series, which sees Cerutti currently leading the standings in the G-1000 class, reserved for multi-cylinder bikes over 600 cc.
After the first positive tests carried out in Sardinia and Friuli, the Turkish meeting, a rally as fascinating as it is demanding, which will cross Anatolia from the Black Sea to the Aegean Sea, for a total of 2,500 km, represents a real test bed for Tuareg, with a view to future commitments in the African desert. In the first phase, work concentrated on the performance of the frame, with a removable structure and geometries designed to guarantee high-speed stability and greater suspension travel.
Subsequently, the focus shifted to seeking maximum engine reliability in adverse conditions, through various interventions, including the introduction of an oil cooler. The adoption of an additional first tank finally increased the range needed to cover the long distances of rallying. The competition version of the Aprilia Tuareg is equipped with Öhlins by Andreani suspension, a full SC Project titanium exhaust and a specific Sprint Filter air filter. The collaboration with Metzeler, which is looking with increasing interest at the world of twin-cylinder adventure bikes and has chosen Aprilia to develop products for future use in rally raids, is a valuable one.