Jacopo Cerutti has taken victory at the Sardinian round of the FIM Europe Baja Championship aboard a production-specification Aprilia Tuareg Rally, reinforcing the bike’s credentials as a rally-raid machine that buyers can walk into a dealership and purchase today.
The Sardinian Baja, held out of Olbia in northeastern Sardinia, is a demanding event run across long special stages that test both rider and machine across unforgiving terrain.
Cerutti, a two-time Africa Eco Race winner and reigning force in Italian and European rally raid, reached the top of the results sheet on hardware that differed from showroom specification in only a handful of rider-preference details: mousse-compatible rally tyres, an Ohlins rear shock, and Cerutti’s personal navigation tower, seat, and handlebars fitted to suit his ergonomics.
The engine, frame, suspension internals, and exhaust remained unmodified production components.
The Tuareg Rally ships with a titanium SC Project exhaust, KYB suspension offering 240mm of travel with linear-rate springs calibrated for off-road use, Ergal spoked wheels with tube-type knobbies, and an engine map developed specifically for aggressive throttle response.
Aluminium handguards with metal cores and a heavy-duty aluminium skid plate are standard fit, as is a chain guide.
The seat sits 20mm higher than the standard Tuareg to facilitate the stand-to-sit transitions characteristic of rally and hard enduro riding. All-up weight is 199kg wet.
The Tuareg Rally’s competition lineage traces directly to the bike Cerutti rode to victory on its Africa Eco Race debut, a result built in collaboration between Aprilia Racing and GCorse, the operation run by the Guareschi brothers.
The production version was developed with Cerutti’s direct input, particularly around the engine mapping and chassis tuning, and the Sardinian Baja result suggests the transfer of competition knowledge to the production bike has been effective.
The Aprilia Tuareg Rally is available through Aprilia dealerships in Australia now, priced from $24,990 rideaway. Meanwhile, the standard Tuareg 660 carries on from $23,990.
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