Pol Tarres sets world altitude record with Yamaha Ténéré and YZ450FX
Pol Tarres sets new altitude world records with the Yamaha Ténéré World Raid GYTR and YZ450FX reaching the highest point ever by adventure and single cylinder motorcycles.
“Above 6,000 meters everything seems to go very slow, the physical wear is indescribable, and there is no room for errors,” confesses Pol Tarrés after his new records. “Even walking is a challenge, let alone riding a Ténéré at this altitude.”
Two years after making history and setting an altitude world record aboard a Yamaha Ténéré 700, Pol Tarrés returned to Chile and set the bar even higher.
The new world altitude record of 6,677 metres was set with the Yamaha Ténéré World Raid GYTR but that wasn’t enough for the former TrialGP and Hard Enduro rider who took a YZ450FX to the highest point ever reached by a motorcycle, 6,756 metres.
The target was to ascend Ojos del Salado, the highest volcano on earth, the second-highest mountain in the Andes and the highest summit in Chile. Several other athletes have attempted to conquer this uninhabitable place, with its steep rock inclines, scree slopes and snow drifts, yet none have enjoyed the same success as Tarrés.
Altitude is a force that “humbles most humans”
Having learned important lessons from the previous attempt, Tarrés and the entire TRECE Racing Society Team took two weeks to acclimatise in the Andes Mountain range. Even with Tarrés’s physical conditioning, the altitude is a force that “humbles most humans” and altitude sickness was a constant companion for the team during this acclimatisation process.
The expedition team comprised Pol Tarrés, Javi Echevarria (project manager), Miguel Echevarria (film crew), Ahikar Azcona (Yamaha ambassador & team support), Joan Espasa (film crew) and mountain guides Gerardo Bauty, Cristian Órdenes, Thomas Caballero, and Juan León. The feat was also supported by Yamaha Motor Europe, Marc Bourgeois and Yamaha Motor Chile.
After acclimatising, Tarrés and the TRECE team started to explore potential routes to conquer the mountain, utilizing both the YZ450FX and the Ténéré to complete this reconnaissance phase, whilst also dealing with disruption caused by unexpected snowfall.
The weather also played a significant role in dictating the timing of the record attempt. With high winds forecast, the team were forced to accelerate their plans and make the attempts on March 6 and 7.
Due to the snowfall, the routes to the West and Central summits were rendered impassable, so the highest summit and principal crater of the volcano became the goal chosen by the team.
Starting from Refugio Murray at 4.522 metres, Tarrés and the Ténéré reached the record altitude in only 50 minutes.
“Above 6.000 metres everything seems to go super slow, the physical exhaustion is indescribable and there is no room for mistakes,” says Pol Tarrés. “Even walking is a challenge, let alone riding a Ténéré at this altitude.”
One problem encountered on the previous record setting expedition in 2022 was that of fuel consumption, which is significantly heaver at altitude than at sea level. For the most recent attempt at the record this issue was addressed with the GYTR kit, specifically the GYTR ECU assembly and extra fuel capacity, which allowed Tarrés to ride for longer without the need to refuel.
The TRECE Racing Society and Yamaha Motor Europe have collaborated on a documentary, to be premièred at the end of 2024.
Photo and Video Credit: Trece Racing Society | Yamaha
