Jacopo Cerutti might have been dealing with diarrhea and vomiting and needing saline drips for the past few days, but he refuses to leave Dakar without the Africa Eco Race win. A masterclass on Friday enabled him to slice the gap on Alessandro Botturi by over nine minutes, which leaves them separated by just nine seconds entering the final timed stage on Saturday.

Botturi had entered Stage #10 leading Cerutti by 9:49. Hoping to go back to back, Cerutti was almost perfect despite his gastrointestinal virus as he nearly flipped the overall result and beat Botturi by 9:40.

Although the Africa Eco Race has a 12th stage from Mpal to the finish in Dakar, Stage #11 is the last that will count for the results. While Saturday’s timed section is only 75 kilometers long, the close margin means Cerutti has one last chance to pass Botturi.

“Today was one of those days where making sacrifices is worth it,” explained Cerutti. “This morning, I was still not in the best shape, but after breakfast something changed: I had more of an appetite and more energy.

“I had fun in this stage. I gave one hundred percent, I made only a few mistakes, and I managed to catch up with everyone. Once I was ahead, I blazed the trail and managed to pull away, travelling the last 50 kilometers by myself and building up a bit of a gap. The bike worked brilliantly and I am extremely happy. I still have a shot at the final victory.”

While morale in the Aprilia camp is high with Cerutti’s win, Botturi conceded Friday was “very tough” for him. Being the overall leader and with Stage #9 having been canceled due to sandstorms, he had to open the leg.

In any case, he’s ready for the final challenge. In fact, being Friday’s runner-up means he has a slight edge in that Cerutti will open Stage #11 ahead of him.

“It was extremely hot, plus there were lots of physically demanding dunes, which sap your energy,” Botturi said. “I set a great pace at the start and overtook all of the riders ahead of me, but that meant I was then out on my own, without any reference, so I had to push as hard as I could, but it was not easy.

“It has been an incredible battle with Cerutti, with the two of us constantly fighting at the front all rally long. Now it will all come down to one final stage, with just nine seconds between us, but whatever happens, the whole team can be proud of what we have achieved.”

The outright bike win isn’t the only class that’s still more than up for grabs either. The 450cc trophy is Guillem Martinez Boronat’s to lose after taking the top spot with his third in the stage. Guillaume Borne, who had been the category’s top rider for much of the race, finished fourth and trails him by 1:54.

Most of the car classes seem settled, with Benoit Fretin set to win the four-wheel overall as long as disaster does not strike. Gerrit Zuurmond also has a two-hour advantage over William van Groningen on the truck side, while Magdalena Zajac has survived the longest for T1.1.

SSV is still somewhat open as Martijn van den Broek hangs on to a six-minute edge over Pierre Lafay.

Stage #10 winners

Moto

Class	Overall	Number	Rider	Team	Time
450cc	3	80	Mathieu Liebaert	RVE-Graphecool Racing	5:17:05
Over 450cc	52	62	Junichi Oshitamoto	SMRP with Bivouac Osaka	19:45:00
Multi-Cylinder (650cc–1000cc)	1	1	Jacopo Cerutti	Aprilia Racing GCorse	4:52:41
Multi-Cylinder (Over 1000cc)	17	5	Joan Pedrero	Harley-Davidson	6:01:34
Quad	DNF	N/A	No Finishers	N/A	N/A

Auto

Class	Overall	Number	Driver	Team	Time
T1.1	6	204	Magdalena Zajac	Proxcars TME Rally Team	6:19:06
T1.3	2	200	Benoit Fretin	Century Racing	5:15:17
T5.1	4	401	Gerrit Zuurmond	Rainbow Truck Team	6:00:44
SSV	1	251	Pierre Lafay	Team Gazzafond	5:06:44

Leaders after Stage #10

Moto

Class	Overall	Number	Rider	Team	Time
450cc	3	75	Guillem Martinez Boronat	Senegal Team	37:39:11
Over 450cc	58	62	Junichi Oshitamoto	SMRP with Bivouac Osaka	142:38:16
Multi-Cylinder (650cc–1000cc)	1	3	Alessandro Botturi	Yamaha Ténéré World Raid Team	35:13:07
Multi-Cylinder (Over 1000cc)	9	5	Joan Pedrero	Harley-Davidson	39:31:39

Auto

Class	Overall	Number	Driver	Team	Time
T1.1	7	203	Wietse Tates	Kort Door de Bocht Offroad Racing Team	57:27:27
T1.3	1	200	Benoit Fretin	Century Racing	31:26:23
T5.1	4	400	Gerrit Zuurmond	Rainbow Truck Team	38:13:33
SSV	2	250	Martijn van den Broek	QFF Racing	36:03:38

Featured image credit: Piaggio Group