Fresh from a strong showing at the Desafío Ruta 40, Monster Energy Honda HRC’s Rally 2 riders head to Morocco with plenty to fight for as Martim Ventura, Preston Campbell and Bruno Crivilin line up for the 27th Rallye du Maroc.
The three riders arrive in Agadir at different stages of their rally-raid journeys, Ventura leads the Rally-Raid World Cup after an impressive run of three consecutive podiums, Campbell continues to build on a debut season that began with second place at the Dakar Rally, while Crivilin returns for only his second Rally-Raid World Cup appearance after finishing runner-up on his debut at the Desafío Ruta 40.
Morocco will provide a very different test. Beginning with an 18 km prologue in Agadir on 28th September, the event features five full stages before the finish on 3rd October. Across 2,637 km, including 1,530 km against the clock, the riders will encounter everything from the rugged tracks of the Atlas Mountains to the sand and dunes surrounding Zagora, where the bivouac will be based for much of the rally.
Martim Ventura heads to Morocco leading the Rally-Raid World Cup standings following an impressive debut season. The Portuguese rider made his first Dakar Rally appearance at the beginning of the year and immediately made his mark with third place in Rally 2 riding the Honda CRF450RX RALLY. He followed that breakthrough result with second at Rally-Raid Portugal before going one better at the Desafío Ruta 40, where he claimed victory.
With three consecutive podium finishes and a World Cup lead to defend, Ventura arrives at the Rallye du Maroc carrying plenty of momentum and returning for his second appearance at the event, he will be looking to draw on his previous experience of the Moroccan terrain as he targets another strong result and valuable championship points.
Preston Campbell has also made an impressive start to his rally-raid career. The American made his Dakar Rally debut in January and produced an outstanding performance to finish runner-up in Rally 2. He continued his campaign with seventh place at Rally-Raid Portugal before narrowly missing out on another podium with fourth at the Desafío Ruta 40.
Like Ventura, Campbell returns to the Rallye du Maroc for the second time. With previous experience of the event and considerably more rally-raid kilometres now under his belt, he will be looking to put everything he has learned this season into practice across Morocco’s demanding mix of tracks, mountains, sand and dunes.
Bruno Crivilin completes the Honda HRC Rally 2 line-up and arrives in Morocco fresh from an eye-catching debut with the team. The Brazilian joined the squad for the Desafío Ruta 40, which also marked his first-ever Rally-Raid World Cup event and made an immediate impression by finishing runner-up.
The Rallye du Maroc will now present another new challenge for Crivilin as he makes his debut at the event. Building on the experience and confidence gained at the Desafío Ruta 40, he will face the distinctive demands of Moroccan rally-raid for the first time, with challenging navigation, long stages and a wide variety of terrain providing the next step in his progression with the team.
With preparations complete, the focus now switches to Monday’s 18 km prologue in Agadir before the Rally 2 trio heads into five days of competition across the Moroccan landscape.
Ruben Faria – General Manager : « We have Martim leading the championship, four points ahead of Toni Mulec. It’s his second time here, he really enjoys this type of terrain and is strong in these conditions.
« Preston is third in the championship, seven points behind Martim. There is a little bit of a gap, but I think he can have a good race here. It’s a rally he enjoys and the terrain is quite similar to the broken tracks he trains on in California, so I believe he can be very competitive.
« Bruno is making his debut in Morocco, so for sure everything will be new for him. It’s only his second rally with the team and he is still getting used to the roadbook and navigation. He had a really good race in Argentina at the Desafío Ruta 40, but it will be very different here. He will need to ride carefully because this isn’t really his type of terrain, but I believe he can improve day by day. There is no pressure on Bruno as it’s his first year and I think he can do well, the goal is to be on the podium, so let’s see if that is possible.
« The team is ready, there’s a great atmosphere and everybody is happy. We are ready to start. »
Martim Ventura #84 : « I’m super ready for this rally, I like it a lot and it’s the closest desert I have from my home in Portugal. The championship looks good, I’m five points ahead coming into the end of this 2026 season and so the big decisions arrive now. I feel super focused and happy to be here again with the team in such a nice rally that I like a lot. I learnt a lot last year, so this time I think I have all the knowledge to put it all together, so let’s see. The rally will be tough, intense and demanding because the terrain here is sometimes very broken and it will be hard. I’ve done everything I can to be in the best shape arriving here, so I’m feeling good. »
Preston Campbell #85 : « Training and shakedown are now complete and I’m looking forward to getting the race underway this week. I felt really good on the bike throughout the training sessions and we were able to get some valuable kilometres in before the start of the rally.
« The team has done a great job preparing the Honda CRF450RX RALLY and everything is ready to go. I’m feeling comfortable and confident on the bike, so now it’s time to focus on the race ahead. I can’t wait to get started here in Morocco and see what we can do. »
Bruno Crivilin #69 : « I’m really happy to be in Morocco for my first time at this World Championship rally. The last week we’ve been testing and doing road books with the team, it’s been great to be back with everybody. I’m ready to push over the coming days and gain as much experience as I can during this rally. »