Monaco on the French Riviera , the race runs through Morocco and Mauritania taking on the dunes and tracks of the Sahara Desert before finishing on the shores of Lac Rose , on the outskirts of Dakar city , Senegal . You might be wondering why it ’ s called the ‘ Eco ’ race when fossil-fuel burning vehicles are raced . Originally called the Africa Race , organisers wanted to make the race more environmentally friendly , so all bivouac and paddock areas are kept very clean and no rubbish is left behind on the course . As well as that , entrants donate all of the used and unused tyres , oil and unused fuel to locals . Where the motorcycles in the Dakar are limited to 450cc single cylinder racers , the Africa Eco Race allows unlimited capacity and multiple cylinders . This has made it a natural proving ground for the latest adventure bikes , specifically Yamaha ’ s Tenere 700 and Aprilia ’ s Tuareg . Last year ’ s event covered some 6500km of tough racing . Both Yamaha and Aprilia fielded

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