The Africa Eco Race will kick off this weekend on December 30, and it sees some interesting storylines for this edition. Starting with: Why now?

The Eco Race runs from Europe (Monaco) to Dakar, along a very similar route to the old Paris-Dakar Rally. No wonder, then, that it attracts competitors who might otherwise be riding the current iteration of the Dakar Rally, which takes place entirely in Saudi Arabia. Some riders have done both—so why kick off the Eco race just a few days before Dakar starts, basically running them concurrently? We asked that question when the 2023 race was postponed, and we still haven’t made sense of it.

Regardless of the weirdo timing, it seems the Eco race is doing well for itself this year. According to organizers, at least 80 riders are signed up for this year’s race, along with 45 vehicles in the SSV/Auto/Truck categories. Representatives from 30 different countries will compete, with a 550-man caravan at this year’s event. Things are looking up for the race!

Also note that we see some significant growth in the motorcycle category. Aprilia is now fielding its Tuareg 660 in the moto class, with Jacopo Cerutti and Francesco Montanari on the factory team. The Yamaha factory team returns, with Alessandro Botturi and Pol Tarres flogging their T7s across the desert, and a new man in command. Marc Bourgeois, a former racer himself, now heads the team.

Perhaps the most interesting effort will be rally raid veteran Joan Pedrero Garcia behind the handlebars of a Harley-Davidson Pan America. Also, note that Dakar legend David Casteu is at the Africa Eco Race this year with a multi-class team, fielding machines in the SSV and Moto categories.

There’s a lot going on, then! We’ll try to keep you posted on the race’s day-to-day as much as possible, although it’s always a bit challenging at the Eco Race, as it doesn’t get the same coverage as Dakar. There is a thread about the race on ADVrider’s Racing sub-forum (see here), but the inmates there face the same problem that all Eco Race fans face: Limited info from the top down. But we’ll do the best we can!