António Maio’s done plenty of rallies in the deserts of Morocco and Saudi Arabia, but the Addax Rally will be his first time racing one on a bike as powerful as the Yamaha Ténéré 700 Rally. He will compete as part of the Ténéré Spirit Experience alongside the Ténéré Yamaha Rally Team.

Maio typically races the Yamaha WR450F, which has been his steed for all six of his Dakar Rally starts. He retired from the latest edition in January with an electrical problem.

Since March, however, he had been trying out the Ténéré 700. While he doesn’t have a full-fledged factory partnership with Yamaha, he is part of the company’s Portuguese subsidiary. Maio won the Trail class, reserved for 600cc bikes and over, in his debut with the Ténéré at the Baja TT Escuderia Castelo Branco. Two months later, he topped the class at the Raid Ferraria. Maio also won Trail at the Baja TT Sharish Gin in September.

The Addax Rally marks his return to Morocco, where he previously raced the Rallye du Maroc on the WR450F. Maio is not part of the main team as the Ténéré Spirit Experience is basically a riding experience for Ténéré owners, though he and TSE participants will also get factory-level support.

“After what seems like a very long break over the summer, it is great to be getting back into competition,” said team manager Marc Bourgeois. “The Addax Rally will give us the perfect chance not only to get back into the rhythm of a rally raid, but also to evaluate the development of the Ténéré 700 Rally and to continue testing on some of the harshest terrain on the planet.

“We are also delighted to have António Maio riding on the official bike as an invited guest after impressing in previous rallies. It shows the kind of opportunity the Ténéré Spirit Experience can offer, and we have another three TSE riders competing in the Race category, too. We are excited to return to the desert and get back in action.”

The main team consists of Alessandro Botturi, Kevin Gallas, Mike Wiedemann, and Bertrand Gavard. Like Maio, Wiedemann has raced at Dakar.

The Addax Rally began on Monday.

Featured image credit: Paulo Maria / DPPI / ASO