bp Ultimate-backed rider is motivated after finishing second overall at the Sertões Rally
Martim Ventura, a rider backed by bp Ultimate and part of the Monster Energy Honda HRC team, will compete in the Rallye du Maroc 2026 on a Honda CRF450RX, the fourth round of the World Rally-Raid Championship. The young Portuguese rider arrives at this important event leading the Rally 2 category, five points ahead of the runner-up.
Motivated by his recent result at the Sertões Rally, where he took second place overall and won the MT2 category, Martim Ventura believes he can put in a strong performance. He heads to Morocco determined to defend his leading position in the championship and to continue the good results he has achieved throughout the season. After a year as part of Honda's factory team, Martim feels he has reached a high competitive level and is ready to take on another major challenge on the world Rally-Raid calendar.
"This is the fourth round of the World Championship and I'm leading Rally 2 by five points. I'm very happy to be back in Morocco, as it's terrain I know quite well. It's the closest desert to Portugal, and I feel very comfortable here. It's one of the races I enjoy most, but I know it's going to be a tough one. Morocco always has very broken terrain, with lots of rocks and a lot of wear, because the terrain is used so much for racing. So it's going to be a long, hard, intense journey. I feel ready. I've done everything within my power to be in good shape and, a year after joining the Honda team, I feel I'm at a higher level. I'm very happy to be on the start line of this race once again, which begins on 28 September with the prologue. We're going on the attack," concluded the Portuguese rider.
The 27th Rallye du Mar2026 will take place from 28 September to 3 October, linking Agadir to Zagora on a journey that takes competitors from the Atlantic coast to the desert landscapes of southern Morocco. After the prologue in Agadir, the race will consist of five stages. The first will link Agadir to Zagora, while the remaining four will be run as loops in the Zagora region. The route will include sandy sections, dunes and desert tracks. For the bikes, the route will cover around 2,637 km, of which 1,530 km will be timed special stages.
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