We’ve come to expect a lot from pro enduro rider Pol Tarrés, the young Spaniard who first hopped his way into the global spotlight as a twenty-tens trials champ. In more recent years his star has become more and more intertwined with the monumental feats he achieves on his more recent bike of choice, Yamaha’s Tenere 700. 

Much of that magic occurs on the hard enduro circuit where Pol continues to raise the bar for adventure bikes, making history at last year’s Erzbergrodeo on his factory-prepped T7, grabbing a podium finish at Morocco Desert Challenge and most recently, using the 689cc adventure bike to win the overall class against a sea of 450cc race bikes in Turkey’s’ 7-day, 2,300 kilometer TransAnatolia Rally. 

But what many Pol watchers look forward to most are new releases of his evocative short film series, The Seeker, which kicked off in 2020 and was followed up in 2021 by The Seeker 2. Well, fall of 2023 finally brings the next installment, The Seeker 3: Unleashed and Unbound, an all-new trove of gravity-defying antics, this time set against the striking backdrop of the Moroccan backcountry. 

All Seeker movies are meticulously crafted by brothers Javi and Mito Echevarría with the support of Pol’s Trece Racing Society, a collective of crew and creatives that follow, support and document Pol’s many adventures. The core theme is always the same and never grows stale: Terra firma belongs to “The Seeker in all of us” and deserves to be explored with reckless abandon.

Part 3’s near 20-minute feast of riding porn begins on the fire-orange dunes of Erg Chebbi, a sea of sand waves that boasts the highest peaks of the Sahara Desert. The growling T7 looks right at home here roosting and hopping the dune’s rocky edges, at least with Tarrés at the bar. 

Since the original film, where the extreme rider stunted a nearly bone-stock T7 in an abandoned quarry, his succession of Yamahas has seen more modifications, typically involving weight-shaving moves like tossing the ABS system and adding a full Akrapovič exhaust. Outback Motortek has been supplying armor for the bike, while suspension has been handled by Italian off-road specialist, Boano Moto. Pol typically runs aggressive Mitas knobbies (Terra Force EF/EF-07) and a rally-style seat on these personal T7s. 

After the invigorating sand-fest, we find Pol in the dramatic canyon landscape of the Dadès Gorges, tracing the literal edges of the famous switchbacks of R704, a section of the famous route of a Thousand Kasbahs. 

All’s going as expected until we’re suddenly slapped in the adrenals about 4 minutes in by a massive cliff-to-cliff jump by Pol. That this death defying feat comes so early in the film and out of nowhere is an interesting move by the Echevarría Brothers, since usually, in a more typical storytelling arc, the crescendo arrives toward the end. “We couldn’t measure the canyon before the jump,” says Javi of feat, describing how Pol moved rocks as he prepared the approach. “It’s difficult to say who felt more adrenaline, him or the cameras.” 

“This time I beat myself thanks to Morocco,” says Pol of the experience. “This place is limitless, so I had plenty of room to create.” 

While we all smoke a cigarette after the jump, Pol goes on to turn the Moroccan wilderness into his playground, all the while making the 400-plus pound Yamaha look as nimble as a 150-pound trials bike. And it’s here where we also get our first real taste of the cultural imagery so tastefully threaded into the film by storytelling brothers, Javi and Mito. 

There are some very powerful moments in this poignant section, beginning with Pol’s impromptu soccer game with some joyful local kids. There are customs brought to life and such kindness on all the faces, not least of all Pol’s, whose obvious delight in meeting and interacting with the villagers shines through his bright smile and laughter. “Ultimately, the seeker wants to know himself, meet people from other cultures, and reflect upon the real meaning of life” says Pol. 

Next Pol and his T7 meet with a different kind of rider and his mount on the shore of Legzira Beach where they explore the definition of horsepower, racing in tandem, horse and motorcycle through a thick, salty mist. There’s a falcon and very photogenic cat and the lusty words of inspiration we’ve come to expect from these films: “The call of the road is always strong. The wilderness is always waiting, daring you to take it on. So, in time, you have to keep moving.”

There’s plenty more riding feats on the back half of this Seeker installment, too, including river romps and tightrope riding along an ancient canal system. The landscape in this area of Morocco is mesmerizing, with rugged rock formations that jut from the wadis, creating an otherworldly skyline. Here Pol shows us more slow-motion bike control. “You see lines no others can. You ride where those who doubt won’t. Because you understand it’s not the mountains we conquer, but ourselves, again and again.” 

It’s a beautiful piece of film, with thoughtful music choices and plenty of extra b-roll to satisfy our appetite for Seeker feels. Javi describes the project as “a love letter to Morocco without roses and champagne, but romantic to the bone.” The work has also been dedicated to all the people of Morocco who have been and are still affected by the devastating earthquake that occurred  just weeks before the film’s release.

As Seeker fans have come to expect, the film portion is followed by a dessert course of outtakes that lasts for several minutes. During this micro feast we watch as Pol’s pal, actor Anikar Azkona, who’s co-starred in past Seeker films is casually revealed to be the horse pilot in the beach riding section. And you definitely don’t want to miss the best-for-last POV shot of Pol as he takes THE jump, or the whoop that erupts upon landing. 

As for the future, filmmaker Javi Echevarría promises more Seeker installments are in the works, though in the meantime, Pol’s plate seems very busy as he prepares for the Tunisia Desert Challenge in October, the last stop in the Yamaha-sponsored Ultimate Rally Raid Experience, where everyday T7 riders from around the world were invited to experience rally raid riding on their own bikes.

Photos by Javi Echevarria @livelike_javi_thewho 

Author: Jamie Elvidge

Jamie has been a motorcycle journalist for more than 30 years, testing the entire range of bikes for the major print magazines and specializing in adventure-travel related stories. To date she’s written and supplied photography for articles describing what it’s like to ride in all 50 states and 43 foreign countries, receiving two Lowell Thomas Society of American Travel Writer’s Awards along the way. Her most-challenging adventure yet has been riding in the 2018 GS Trophy in Mongolia as Team AusAmerica’s embedded journalist.