The World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC) is heading into the Sahara Desert for Rallye OLA Energy du Maroc. The weeklong desert race gets underway with shakedowns and a Prologue Stage in Agadir on Monday, September 28. That’s followed by 1,600km of racing against the clock within Morocco’s two largest ergs (dune fields) – Chegaga and Chebbi. Five days of desert racing must be navigated before the finish line comes into view on Saturday, October 3 in Zagora.
This year’s Rallye du Maroc is the penultimate round of the 2026 W2RC. World Championship titles are still up for grabs in both four- and two-wheel categories. Now it’s time for the mighty Sahara to find out who can keep their cool under the fierce desert sun.
There’s just three championship points separating Dacia team-mates Sébastien Loeb and Nasser Al-Attiyah ahead of Round 4. Al-Attiyah scored big points with his sixth Dakar Rally title earlier this year, but Loeb roared back with victory at Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal. Results in Morocco will have a big say on who inherits the Ultimate class World Championship from fellow Dacia driver Lucas Moraes.
« Rallye du Maroc is an event I like and I know very well so I am confident we can do well and close the gap in the championship. » – Nasser Al-Attiyah
24-year-old Seth Quintero is breathing down the neck of both Al-Attiyah and Loeb in the Ultimate class rankings with two rounds to go. Victory at Desafío Ruta 40 put Quintero just 13 championship points off the overall lead. Another winning result for the Toyota Gazoo Racing driver could see the American climb to the summit in Morocco. Quintero’s Gazoo Racing team-mate Henk Lategan is also on the hunt to replicate his win at last year’s South Africa Safari Rally.
« This will be my second time at this rally so the country’s not new to me anymore. However, the route is different to last year so it’ll still be a discovery and I’m looking forward to that. » – Henk Lategan
Ford Racing are sending a full squad of four race crews to North Africa. Carlos Sainz, Mattias Ekström, Nani Roma and Mitch Guthrie Jr. will drive the fleet of Ford Raptors entered into Rallye du Maroc. The team were recently together in the Nevada desert for a period of intense testing ahead of the final two races of this season’s W2RC.
« We really want to focus on getting a clean run here in Morocco. All of our competitors are here, ready to fight, so it will be a tough challenge out there. » – Carlos Sainz
Within the deep field of world class Ultimate category entries there’s two exciting developments to follow across the sands of the Sahara. Cristina Gutiérrez will debut her Santana 400 T1+ while Dania Akeel will race her first W2RC event in the Ultimate class, behind the wheel of a Toyota Hilux EVO.
« It will be my first W2RC race with Santana Racing Team, with a new car and a new co-driver, Marc Solà. Our main goal is to make the most of every kilometre to adapt, work together and understand the car as deeply as possible. » – Cristina Gutiérrez
Elsewhere in the stacked Ultimate class entry list there’s plenty of expectation for solid stage results and high overall placings for Guillaume De Mévius (MINI), Laia Sanz (EBRO) and Kevin Benavides (Toyota). During a race as challenging and unpredictable as Rallye du Maroc there’s always scope for a surprise along the way.
« The priority will be to accumulate kilometres and progress with the evolution of the car. I want to continue to gain speed and keep improving the car. » – Laia Sanz
The season-long battle for supremacy in the Stock class between Defender team-mates Rokas Baciuška and Stéphane Peterhansel will resume in Morocco. Baciuška came out on top at the Dakar, but since then Peterhansel has driven his Defender D7X-R to victory in Portugal and Argentina. Baciuška currently leads the championship standings by 29 points with 14-time Dakar winner Peterhansel his closest competitor.
« I’m really looking forward to competing in this race again, but this time in the Stock class. We know the stages will be tough, with long days in the car and some tricky terrain. » – Rokas Baciuška
Matthias Walkner arrives in Morocco fresh from winning the Challenger class at the previous round of the championship in Argentina. The 2018 Dakar Rally bike race winner will drive this edition of Rallye du Maroc in the SSV class at the wheel of his Can-Am Maverick R. Can the Austrian score a double category victory during his debut W2RC season on four wheels?
« Morocco is always one of my favourite races because the landscapes are really cool. I’m super pumped to start the rally and see what this new challenge will bring. » – Matthias Walkner
Over in the bike contest it’s Daniel Sanders of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing who’s in pole position to defend his W2RC RallyGP crown. Victory at Desafío Ruta 40 put the Australian on top of the championship rankings. Aiming to get back in front of Sanders on the Saharan dunes is his team-mate and current Dakar champion Luciano Benavides. The championship gap between the two riders is just six points! The third Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider heading to Morocco is Edgar Canet and it’s only a matter of time until the 21-year-old biker picks up his first RallyGP win.
« I’m looking forward to getting back into the Moroccan desert. I lost here last year so I’m after a bit of redemption by winning it back again. » – Daniel Sanders
The honour of hosting the start of the 27th Rallye du Maroc falls to the city of Agadir for the sixth time. Sitting between the Atlantic Ocean and the Atlas Mountains, Agadir offers breathtaking scenery wherever you look. Shakedowns and a Prologue Stage on Monday, September 28 get things started before five desert race stages conclude on Saturday, October 3 in Zagora. Marc Coma, five-time Dakar winner on two wheels, is confident his organising team have come up with a route that will tick every box.
« We looked for sandy sections to minimise the stones where possible, and we also selected technical sections where some of the stories of the next edition will no doubt unfold. » – Marc Coma
Away from the W2RC battles, the Classics class will debut in Morocco following its success at recent editions of the Dakar. Also new this year is Red Bull coming onboard as exclusive Energy Drink and an Official Partner of Rallye OLA Energy du Maroc.
Will championship rankings get turned on their head in Morocco or can the frontrunners pick the fastest path through the Saharan dunes?
World Rally-Raid Championship rankings
ULTIMATE – Top 5 : 1. S. LOEB (FRA) – The Dacia Sandriders – 114 points ; 2. N. AL-ATTIYAH (QAT) – The Dacia Sandriders – 111 ; 3. S. QUINTERO (USA) – Toyota Gazoo Racing – 101 ; 4. N. ROMA (ESP) – Ford Racing – 59 ; 5. L. MORAES (BRA) – The Dacia Sandriders – 57…
STOCK – Top 3 : 1. R. BACIUSKA (LTU) – Defender Rally – 199 points ; 2. S. PETERHANSEL (FRA) – Defender Rally – 170 ; 3. S. PRICE (USA) – Defender Rally – 164
BIKE RallyGP – Top 5 : 1. D. SANDERS (AUS) – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing – 67 points ; 2. T. SCHAREINA (ESP) – Honda HRC – 64 ; 3. L. BENAVIDES (ARG) – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing – 61 ; 4. R. BRABEC (USA) – Honda HRC – 54 ; 5. A. VAN BEVEREN (FRA) – Honda HRC – 41…
QUOTES
Nasser Al-Attiyah: « Rallye du Maroc is an event I like and I know very well so I am confident we can do well and close the gap in the championship. The third place in Argentina was important for the points but we have more work to do if we are to catch our team-mates. Hopefully we can have a clean rally without any problems like we’ve had in the last two races. »
Sébastien Loeb: « We’re still leading the championship by three points, so obviously nothing is decided yet, but the objective is to have a strong Rallye du Maroc and try to maintain our lead. It’s a rally we won last year with Édouard, even if we had a bit of a scare at the end in the Power Selective Section when we missed a waypoint. I’m happy to be back racing in the W2RC and we’ll do everything we can to strengthen our position in the championship. »
Henk Lategan: « This will be my second time at this rally so the country’s not new to me anymore. However, the route is different to last year so it’ll still be a discovery and I’m looking forward to that. I’m expecting to find some open desert racing, that’s what makes this race such a good preparation for the Dakar. We’ll be testing some different set-ups and maybe one or two new bits on the car. »
Lucas Moraes: « I really love Morocco. It’s a very special place for me after winning the FIA World Rally-Raid Championship there last year. It’s also a place I really enjoy to drive, the type of desert, the type of challenge and the type of dunes. I’m very excited for the rest of the championship, especially coming off a victory on Rally dos Sertões in Brazil, a home event. It was a very special moment for me. »
Carlos Sainz: « Morocco is always an important part of the season as we prepare for the Dakar Rally. For Dani (Oliveras, co-driver) and me, it will be another rally together and another opportunity for us to get better together and to keep practicing. We really want to focus on getting a clean run here in Morocco. All of our competitors are here, ready to fight, so it will be a tough challenge out there. »
Nani Roma: « We’ve already had a good shakedown to prepare the cars, we’re doing everything we can to be ready for this rally. I really like being here in Morocco, I like the country and I like the tracks we drive. We’re ready to fight and of course will try to win. It won’t be easy because there are lots of good drivers, good cars and good teams. We’ll see how things go next week, but everybody on the team is really motivated. »
Mattias Ekström: « I think it’s my fifth or sixth time doing this rally so I’ve started to get the experience of what it’s all about. It’s been a long break since Portugal so I’m excited to get back to racing. I hope we can go out and have a good time, like always we’re in it to win it. It’s also a great opportunity to prepare for Dakar. »
Mitch Guthrie Jr.: « I’ve done this rally many times and it’s always the final big test before Dakar. The terrain is crazy, it’s got a little bit of everything as well as dunes. That’s why everyone’s here, because it’s very representative of Dakar 2027. I think the team is in a great spot and now we’re just fine-tuning the truck, making it better and better. »
Cristina Gutiérrez: « We arrive at the Rallye du Maroc very excited, but also aware that we are at the beginning of a completely new project. It will be my first W2RC race with Santana Racing Team, with a car that I am still discovering and a new co-driver, Marc Solà, so our main goal is to make the most of every kilometre to adapt, learn how to work together and understand the car as deeply as possible. »
Dania Akeel: « This race is a great opportunity for me to take the next step in my Ultimate class driving. I’ve been racing this class in the Baja World Cup as well as regional and national championships. This rally will be longer, tougher and more challenging than those races. The intention for this race is to grow as a driver with every kilometre, to gain experience and knowledge while being amongst the top contenders in rally-raid. »
Kevin Benavides: « I’ve already been here in Morocco for a few days and have been feeling really good in the car. It’s my first time back in the car after racing Desafío Ruta 40 so it’s been good to make a lot of kilometres. That was the target for these days before the rally. I’m sure this Rallye du Maroc is going to be a big opportunity for me to learn more about racing in the Ultimate class. »
Laia Sanz: « Morocco is very good for us because it is a great rehearsal for the Dakar. The priority will be to accumulate kilometres and progress with the evolution of the car. This will allow us to reach the Dakar with the highest level of confidence possible. I want to continue to gain speed and keep improving the car. »
Rokas Baciuška: « Rallye du Maroc is always a challenge, but I’m really looking forward to competing in this race again, this time in the Stock class. We know the stages will be tough, with long days in the car and some tricky terrain, but we’ll work hard to stay focused throughout. We’ve got a great team and a robust race car in the D7X-R, so the goal is to avoid mistakes, stay consistent, be fast and bring the car to the finish line. »
Stéphane Peterhansel: « It’s special to be racing in Morocco again, especially after so much success in my motorbiking days. The desert here demands a lot from a driver, a navigator and a race car, but we have the team and the preparation required and a super capable car. I’m excited to see what Defender Rally can achieve. »
Matthias Walkner: « Morocco is always one of my favourite races because the landscapes are really cool. This will be my first time driving this rally in the SSV class and I feel like a rookie. It’s a new car, a new team and a new co-driver. I’m super pumped to start the rally and see what this new challenge will bring. »
Daniel Sanders: « It’s been a good break since the last race in Argentina. We’ve been developing the new bike with a couple new parts. It’s been a busy few weeks leading into this rally. It’s always exciting to see where everyone’s at in the competition after the break. Also, racing the new bike before the next Dakar is really important for the team. I’m looking forward to getting back into the Moroccan desert. I lost here last year so I’m after a bit of redemption by winning it back again. »
Marc Coma: « The bike and car routes will often be split; we saw that this worked well on the last Dakar. During the recce, we visited regions the race has already passed through but found some new elements. We looked for sandy sections to minimise the stones where possible, and we also selected technical sections where some of the stories of this next edition will no doubt unfold. »
Christine Fial,