- D-1 before the prologue of the 26th edition of the Rallye du Maroc, held under the High Patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI.
- Following scrutineering, 229 vehicles have been approved to start the race. 116 FIM (11 RallyGP, 97 Rally2, and 8 Rally3), 106 FIA (44 Ultimate, 25 Challenger, 30 SSV) and 7 Open.
- Tomorrow, the 19 km prologue will take place in the vicinity of Fez and will determine the starting order for stage 1. Follow the first timed special of the week live on the Race Center from 8 a.m. (UTC + 1)
Among the 116 bikers authorized to start, 11 are RallyGP riders representing KTM, Honda Hero, and Sherco, accompanied by Stefan Svitko (Cross Team). Behind this elite group, 90% are amateurs. Some are here to discover the desert, others to judge themselves against the standard of the world championship, and still others to prepare for the Dakar, sometimes with the very real hope of qualifying. A dozen of them have made the radical choice to ride without assistance, often with the dream of competing in Saudi Arabia in this category historically known as “malle moto.”
Andrea Gava is one of them. The 30-year-old Italian is a rookie on the Rallye du Maroc and to compete in the Dakar, he must first perform here in Morocco. To keep his budget down, he has decided to enter in the “malle moto” category, and to reduce his transport costs has ridden his race bike from his village of Cordignano, north of Venice. Andrea has already traveled 2,400 km to arrive at scrutineering in Fez, with another 2,300 km ahead of him this week, before returning home on his Kove, the most affordable Chinese motorcycle on the rally-raid market. An initiative that has impressed the Italian importer of the brand. Eleven Koves, or 10% of the field, will be at the start of the prologue tomorrow.
The other riders have chosen support teams to maintain, and often prepare, their motorcycles. Some of these so-called privateer teams are giants in the service park at the Grand Stade de Fès. Organized like professional teams, they are the ones who enable discovery and progression within the discipline’s hierarchy. Nomade Racing is the largest team in the FIM bivouac with 14 riders, almost all of whom are French. Noa Sainct, the son of the two-time winner of the Rallye du Maroc (2001-02), is with the French team for his first world championship round and entered in Rally3, the gateway to rally-raid. RS Concept is also supporting five French riders.
Alongside these French teams, the Spanish teams of Pedrega (11) and Xraids Experience (9) are not to be outdone with their contingents of nationals and South Americans. Ecuador, Mexico, Chile, Costa Rica—Spanish speakers are well represented in the caravan. And Joyride Service (5) reinforces their ranks. The two Dutch teams, BAS World KTM Racing (7) and HT Rally (5), which is making its debut under the Honda banner, are much more international. The Italians from Solarys (4) and RS Moto (3) are present with local talent… and one Japanese rider. Twenty-four nationalities from all continents will swell the ranks of the FIM entry.
As with the motorcycles, the official car teams will be out in full force at the start of tomorrow’s race. The four Ford Raptors are together for the first time since the Dakar. Carlos Sainz and Nani Roma are chasing their first victory in Morocco, a distinction that is still missing from their list of achievements. Recently, the two Spanish stars finished on the podium in Morocco. For Nani, this dates back to 2023, with the test Ranger that heralded the official arrival of the American brand. For “El Matador,” who competed last year at the wheel of the Raptor in the Experimental category, we only have to go back to 2024 to find him in 3rd place in the overall standings. Although the category of his vehicle—which was already compliant with 2025 standards at the time—did not allow him to retain this position in the history of the race, it should nevertheless be borne in mind that the Raptors made a brilliant debut in Morocco, with Mattias Ekström placing his vehicle in fifth position under the same classification conditions. Mitch Guthrie will be back with Ford tomorrow after competing in the first two rounds of the W2RC this season
The three factory Dacias will be at the start tomorrow. Also making their rally-raid debut at the 2024 Rally Morocco in the hands of Nasser Al Attiyah, Sébastien Loeb, and Cristina Gutiérrez, The Dacia Sandriders team made a spectacular debut with a final one-two finish for Al Attiyah and Loeb. A “1-2” that has never been equalled since in the championship. The Qatari, seven-time winner of the Rallye du Maroc (a record) over the last ten editions, is the big favorite to succeed himself.
Toyota, six-time winner of the race (a record for a single brand), is looking to return to victory. Its last win was in 2023 with Yazeed Al Rajhi (Overdrive Racing). The winner of the 2025 Dakar will be accompanied by an armada of Hiluxes. Five official entries will be at the start. Henk Lategan and Lucas Moraes (Toyota Gazoo Racing W2RC), the two direct threats to Nasser Al Attiyah in the world championship, have much less experience in Morocco. The South African will be discovering the Kingdom for the first time, one year after the Brazilian’s debut. Their teammate Seth Quintero will be there to support them. Saood Variawa and Joao Ferreira will be bringing youth to the Toyota Gazoo Racing team. Century Racing with Brian Baragnawath and Mathieu Serradori, and X-raid Mini, will round out the official lineup.
In Challenger, BBR Motorsport is fielding six crews, including a notable newcomer to the category (see Radio Bivouac). Two young drivers are ones to watch. At 24, Charles Munster already made a name for himself in the previous round of the W2RC in Portugal, and Jayden Els, who has been impressive in Ultimate at home in South Africa this season at the wheel of a T1+, is returning to the championship.
In SSV, the private and official teams are at full strength and a Dakar dress rehearsal is clearly on the cards. South Racing Can-Am (seven crews) led by Manuel Andujar will take on the four Can-Am Factory (four) crews of “Chaleco” Lopez, Jeremias Ferioli and the two Americans Hunter Miller and Kyle Chaney.
Martin Macik (MM Technology), defending champion with a 19th place overall in the FIA, is the favorite in the truck category. The Czech is set to take on the two Dutch crews from the Huzynk clan, as well as the Polish and Italian crews equipped with machines from his own MM Technology workshop. Thirty two nationalities will start in the FIA category tomorrow.
RADIO BIVOUAC
Two former motorcyclists have been turning the heads of FIA competitors during the checks over the last two days. Laia Sanz is taking part in her first Rallye du Maroc on four wheels (see The Rallye du Maroc and me). After the 2023 Dakar in a Mini T1 and the last Saudi edition in a two-wheel drive Century, she is now competing for the first time in a T1+ in the colors of the Spanish brand Ebro. Victim of an appendicitis, her navigator Maurizio Gerini has been replaced at short notice by Taye Perry. Also a former Dakar motorcyclist, the South African has already navigated alongside her compatriot Baragwanath in the 2021 Dakar and Cyril Despres.
Kevin Benavides will follow in the footsteps of his former KTM teammate tomorrow. The two-time Dakar winner on a motorcycle (2021-23) is switching to four wheels, but in the Challenger category. Like other Red Bull athletes before him, the Argentinean showed up at the scrutineering with the BBR Motorsport team to prepare for his 10th Dakar: “I’m a beginner again, and it coincides with my debut on a motorcycle ten years ago… right here! History is repeating itself a decade later. It’s incredible to see everything I’ve achieved, including two Dakar victories. I’m now looking to the future with great enthusiasm and motivation. I’m competitive and I want to work to win, but as in motorcycling, I believe that victory is built by taking one step at a time and doing things right. So I’m approaching things in the same way, with a certain calmness. I have the advantage of having a lot of experience in the desert, so I think I can drive intelligently.”
NUMBER OF THE DAY: 2.0
As a partner of the Rallye du Maroc, BFGoodrich is launching the latest evolution of its rally-raid tire in competition this week. The KDR3 EVO 2.0 appeared at technical checks yesterday on the cars of the world’s best crews. More resistant to punctures, offering better traction in sand and greater comfort in all conditions, the EVO 2.0 was created to replace the KDR3. The full-scale test before the Dakar and the 2026 season begins tomorrow!
Source: Rallye Du Maroc
Photo: © Rallye du Maroc / DPPI / F. Le Floc’h
