Harley-Davidson completes gruelling Africa Eco Race
Harley-Davidson took on the Africa Eco Race with its Pan America 1250 adventure bike, a race which it was able to reach the finish of
The Harley-Davidson Pan America 1250 might not scream rally, but the American adventurer has made it to the end of one of the world’s most gruelling rallies.
Set along the original route of the Paris-Dakar rally - which, for the record, doesn’t include the Saudi Arabian Empty Quarter - the Africa Eco Race has become one of the world’s most prestigious rally raids.
The 2024 edition was the 15th of this rally, and marked Harley-Davidson’s first attempt with the Pan America.
Ridden by Joao Pedrero, who took the Pan America to Maxi Trail success at the Transanatolia Rally in Turkiye last year and at the 2022 Baja Aragon, the Pan America was able to reach the finish in Dakar at the conclusion of the rally last Saturday.
Although the overall honours went to Jacopo Cerutti and his factory Aprilia Tuareg 660, Pedrero took the Maxi Trail victory with the Pan America. Overall, the Spaniard was able to manage a 25th-place finish after what Harley-Davidson calls “some setbacks” after the fourth day. Until then, Pedrero has been running inside the top-20 overall.
Kolja Rebstock, Harley-Davidson Regional Vice President for Europe, Middle East and Africa said, “We are thrilled with the result of this race and the incredible performance from Joan Pedrero. Our brand is rooted in adventure and performance, and the Pan America completing this race is a fantastic example of how we are continuing to go beyond expectations by pushing technology and performance limits.”
Find all the latest motorcycle news on Visordown.
Alex has been working in the motorcycle industry for as long as he has been at Visordown, which has been since March 2022 so we'll let you work it out from there. He's the new guy. He'd be fetching us all coffee 'round the clock if he wasn't based in the arse end of nowhere.
