The Rally of Morocco will be the competition that closes out the team's preparation before the big appointment in Saudi Arabia.
The Spanish outfit approaches the event with the goal of testing the modifications introduced to the EBRO s800 XRR.
Laia Sanz: "We want to make the most of every kilometre to gain speed and confidence, so we arrive at the Dakar feeling good."
The Rally of Morocco will be the stage on which EBRO Audax Motorsport makes its reappearance following the rescheduling of the Baja España Aragón due to the fires that struck the region in July. From September 29 to October 3, Laia Sanz and Maurizio Gerini will once again go up against the elite of the World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC), in what will be their final trial by fire before the 2027 Dakar Rally.
It will also mark the Spanish team's return to the terrain where they made their high-level competition debut a year ago. That first participation served to begin building experience with the EBRO s800 XRR in the Ultimate / T1+ category, one of the most demanding disciplines in motorsport. Twelve months on, the goal remains the same: to grow as a brand and as a team.
The car has continued to rack up kilometres and evolve, and the project now approaches the Moroccan event after a period of factory work and several days of on-terrain testing. These sessions have helped fine-tune various aspects of the vehicle and prepare for its return to competition.
"Morocco suits us very well because it's, in many ways, a great rehearsal ahead of the Dakar. Many of the drivers we'll come up against in Saudi Arabia will be there, so we'll be able to see where we stand. On top of that, we've been able to work more on the car and run some test days, which we needed after a few months without racing," explains Laia Sanz.
The Moroccan event will bring together a high-calibre entry list, with 56 vehicles in the Ultimate category, 48 of them T1+, joined by close to fifty more entrants spread across the Challenger, SSV and Stock categories. For EBRO Audax Motorsport, competing against a good number of the protagonists who will be at the Saudi event represents a particularly valuable opportunity to gauge the work carried out over recent months.
Five stages with the Dakar on the horizon
The Rally of Morocco will start in Agadir and finish in Zagora after five stages totalling 2,524 kilometres, of which 1,575 will be timed. The route will combine fast, stony tracks, sandy areas and dunes, along with a great deal of navigation. This setting offers conditions that are especially representative of what Sanz and Gerini will later find in Saudi Arabia.
"The goal isn't to chase a specific result, but to arrive at the Dakar strong. I want to keep gaining speed and confidence, have the car keep improving, and be able to do good work throughout the rally. In a race like this, kilometres in competition are the best test we can do," concludes the Catalan driver.
The Rally of Morocco will thus be EBRO Audax Motorsport's final step before tackling its second Dakar. The work done on Moroccan tracks and the data gathered over the five days of competition will help complete the preparation of the EBRO s800 XRR to face January's great challenge with maximum confidence.
Official Press Release
