- D-8 before the first day of scrutineering for the 26th edition of the Rallye du Maroc, which will take place from October 10 to 17 between Fez and Erfoud and cover 2,299 kilometers, including 1,478 kilometers of special stage.
- The list of competitors published today confirms the status of the Rallye du Maroc as the second largest rally raid in the world after the Dakar. 236 vehicles have been registered, including 107 FIA, 122 FIM, and 7 Open.
- The 2025 Rallye du Maroc, held under the High Patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, is once again the final round of the FIA-FIM World Championships (the 3rd time for the FIA and the 12th for the FIM).
ON TRACK
In the bike category there are 11 RallyGP riders registered: 10 factory riders from the four brands: KTM (Sanders and L. Benavides), Honda (Brabec, Van Beveren, Howes, and Shareina), Hero (Branch and Cornejo) and Sherco (Santolino and Cox), plus Stefan Svitko (Cross Team), the eternal Slovakian privateer who will be preparing for his 17th consecutive Dakar.
Daniel Sanders, who was crowned world champion last Sunday with one round to go before the end of the championship, will nevertheless be the center of attention. The Australian has won four out of four rounds so far this season, an unprecedented performance in W2RC. Winner of the 2024 Rallye du Maroc, “Chucky” is aiming for the Grand Slam. It would be a spectacular way to complete the circle!
The Rally2 category is by far the largest category in the Rallye du Maroc with 103 riders. World Cup leader Edgar Canet could bring home the double for the factory KTM team and pursue his dream of following in the footsteps of a certain Marc Coma (read Rallye du Maroc and me).
India's Aishwarya Pissay in Rally2, a female rookie in the race, will, like so many others, be aiming to qualify for her first ever Dakar.
In Rally3, eight riders will be competing on more economical enduro bikes to get started in the discipline, including Noa Sainct (Nomade Racing), the son of the two-time Rallye du Maroc (2001-02) winner.
In both categories, many will be competing without assistance, to experience the tradition of the “malles motos.” A dedicated area in the bivouac will be reserved for them.
In the car category, 44 Ultimates are registered, including nearly 30 privateer crews. The factory teams, The Dacia Sandriders (Al Attiyah, Loeb, and Gutiérrez) and Ford M-Sport (Sainz, Roma, Ekström, and Guthrie), will face each other with all their crews, something that has not happened since the Dakar Rally.
Toyota, the brand that holds the record for the most race wins (6), will also be present in force, as it will be represented by the official Toyota Gazoo Racing W2RC (Lategan, Moraes, and Quintero) and Toyota Gazoo Racing (Ferreira and Variawa) teams. Overdrive Racing, winner of the last Dakar, will once again be running Hilux Evos (Yazeed Al Rajhi, Garces, Dracone), as will newcomers to the race such as SVR (M. Baumgart, Yacopini and Ourednicek) and Energylandia (Eryk, Marek and Michal Goczal).
Century Racing (Baragwanath and Serradori) will also be present, with full-scale preparation for the Saudi event as a backdrop.
X-raid Mini JCW will be represent by Baud father and daughter.
Nasser Al Attiyah, record holder for victories in the Rallye du Maroc (7) and defending champion, will arrive in Fez with unusual pressure. The Qatari is under threat like never before in the world championship as the final approaches. Lucas Moraes and Henk Lategan, who have won the last two rounds of the W2RC calendar, are hot on the heels of the three-time world champion in the overall standings.
RADIO BIVOUAC
In the Challenger, SSV, Truck and future Stock categories, the Rallye du Maroc is even more than for the other categories, a dress rehearsal for the Dakar. Their stands will be the attraction when the bivouac opens next week: between a former Dakar winner in transition and a Toyota already meeting 2026 standards, there is a wind of Arabia blowing at the gates of the Moroccan desert.
In Challenger, 26 lightweight prototypes are registered, including six from BBR Motorsport including newcomer: Kevin Benavides, two-time Dakar bike winner (2021-23), who is preparing for his next Dakar, his first on four wheels. Can-Am Factory (4), South Racing Can-Am (7), G Rally (4) and QQMF Team (2) will also be out in force at the start.
In SSV, among the 30, close to series, vehicles, South Racing Can-Am (9) will field nearly a third of the entry against the Can-Am Factory team (4).
The Land Cruiser Toyota Auto Body team (2), in the Experimental category with its future Stock vehicle, will be preparing for the advent of this category in 2026.
Five trucks will bring up the rear of the rally with MM Technology (3) taking on the Renault C460s (2).
In the Open category, seven vehicles are entered, including Koloc father and daughter, each in a Red-Lined Revo T1+.
STAT OF THE DAY: 45
45 nationalities will be represented at the 2025 Rallye du Maroc.
In the motorcycle category, among the 24 different nationalities, France ranks first (35), ahead of Spain (14) and Italy (9).
On four wheels, among the 32 different nationalities (30 FIA and 2 additional in Open), France is once again the leader (36), but closely followed by Spain (33). The Netherlands (26) is not far behind.
There are eight Moroccans taking part, including five in Open with two 100% Moroccan crews, one FIM motorcyclist and two FIA navigators, including Firdaouss Al Fannane. A second Moroccan, Hanane Amraoui, will be at the start as a navigator in Open.
THE RALLYE DU MAROC AND ME
Marc Coma, director of the Rallye du Maroc.
Three-time winner in the bike category (2006-09-14)
My first Rallye du Maroc...
"I started out in rally raid with the 2002 Dakar. I discovered the Rallye du Maroc in June 2004. That year, I left the Dakar Rally without finishing and embarked on my first full season in the world championship, where I absolutely had to make good progress to earn my place among the top riders. I finished 2nd in Morocco behind my KTM teammate Isidre Esteve Pujol."
Your last Rallye du Maroc...
"I competed in my last Rallye du Maroc on a motorcycle in 2014, with a victory. I ended my career the following year after Sardinia, so I wasn't in Morocco in 2015. The last time was with Fernando Alonso in 2019, when the race was already starting in Fez. It was our first international race in preparation for the Dakar. The Rallye du Maroc has always been the most important race after the Dakar. For me, it's the first stage of the rocket!"
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David Castera, director of the Rallye du Maroc since 2018: "The 2025 edition will have special meaning for me, as it will be my last as organizer. In passing the baton to Pro Dunes, I am confident that the Rallye du Maroc will remain in good hands, led by a strong and motivated team that respects the spirit we have built together. I know that you, the competitors, will continue to write this story with the same passion and energy. I am convinced that you will be able to place the same trust in Pro Dunes as you have shown me over the years, and that, thanks to you, the Rallye du Maroc will remain an unmissable and authentic event. Thank you for making the Rallye du Maroc what it is today. Thank you for continuing to race with pride and passion, and thank you to Morocco and its people."
Program :
• October 8 at 2 p.m.: opening of the service park (Grand Stade de Fès)
• October 9 (4 p.m.-7 p.m.), 10 (9 a.m.-8 p.m.), 11 (8 a.m.-8 p.m.) and 12 (9 a.m.-8 p.m.): opening of the press room (Marriott Hotel)
• October 9 and 10: private tests
• October 10:
- (9 a.m. to 6 p.m.)/(12 p.m. to 7 p.m.): FIA/FIM administrative checks
- (11 a.m. to 8 p.m.)/(1 p.m. to 8 p.m.): FIA/FIM technical checks
- 7:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.: official presentation of competitors/general briefing (Place Bab Makina)
• October 11:
- (8 a.m.-3:30 p.m.)/(8 a.m.-5 p.m.): FIA/FIM administrative checks
- (9 a.m.-5 p.m.)/(9 a.m.-6 p.m.): FIA/FIM technical checks
- 6:30 p.m.: Pre-race press conference (Marriott Hotel)
- 8:00 p.m. / TBA: publication of the list of those authorized to start FIM/FIA (Sportity)
• October 12:
- 8:30 a.m. / 11:09 a.m.: timed start of the FIM/FIA prologue (Total: 82 / SS: 19 km)
- 6:30 p.m. / 6:45 p.m.: selection of starting orders for stage 1 FIM/FIA (Marriott Hotel)
- 7:00 p.m.: stage 1 briefing
- 8:30 p.m. / 9:00 p.m.: publication of starting orders for stage 1 FIM/FIA (Sportity)
• October 13: stage 1 / Fez - Erfoud (total: 780 km / SS: 300 km)
• October 14: Stage 2 / Erfoud - Erfoud (total: 391 km / SS: 304 km)
• October 15: Stage 3 / Erfoud - Erfoud (total: 325 km / SS: 322 km)
Source: W2RC / A.S.O.
