The third stage of the Rallye OLA Energy du Maroc produced another major reshuffle at the front of both the FIA and FIM fields, with Sébastien Loeb taking the car stage victory, Carlos Sainz moving into the overall lead and Edgar Canet emerging on top of the motorcycle standings.
For The Dacia Sandriders, the day brought both satisfaction and frustration. After Nasser Al Attiyah suffered another mechanical setback, Sébastien Loeb was left to carry the team's hopes for a stage result and duly delivered. The Frenchman claimed his 25th W2RC stage victory, collecting five valuable championship points in the process.
Those points are particularly important after Loeb's problems on stage one removed him from contention for a strong overall result in Morocco. His stage success therefore keeps him firmly involved in the championship battle even if the rally classification is now beyond reach.
Carlos Sainz finished behind Loeb but left the stage with the more significant prize: the lead of the Rallye OLA Energy du Maroc. The Ford Racing driver benefited after Lucas Moraes, who looked set to retain first place overall, ran into trouble just 12 kilometres from the finish.
It is the first time Sainz has led a W2RC round since joining Ford and his first spell at the top of a championship event since winning the 2024 Dakar with Audi.
Seth Quintero also made a major move. The Toyota Gazoo Racing W2RC driver climbed to second overall, 3’20” behind Sainz, strengthening his position in a championship fight that remains finely balanced. Nani Roma sits third at 6’18”, João Ferreira is fourth at 8’02” and Henk Lategan follows at 8’40”, leaving the top five separated by less than ten minutes.
The variety of machinery at the front was another feature of the stage. Dacia, Ford, Toyota and Mini all finished inside the top four, while six different vehicles were represented inside the FIA top ten.
Elsewhere in the FIA categories, Stéphane Peterhansel secured a second consecutive Stock victory for Defender Rally, while Jeremías González Ferioli repeated the feat in SSV. In Challenger, Alexandre Pinto came out on top ahead of Paul Spierings.
KTM takes control of the motorcycle classification
The motorcycle race also changed shape dramatically during the day.
Daniel Sanders lost time after a navigation mistake, opening the door for his Red Bull KTM Factory Racing teammates to move forward. Luciano Benavides made the most of his favourable starting position to claim the stage victory, his 20th in the W2RC, ahead of Tosha Schareina and Ignacio Cornejo.
Three different manufacturers filled the first three positions on the stage, with KTM ahead of Honda and Hero.
The bigger change came in the overall standings. Edgar Canet moved into the rally lead, 1’25” ahead of Benavides, with Sanders just five seconds further back. KTM therefore occupies all three provisional podium positions.
Ricky Brabec remains close enough to keep the pressure on the leading trio. The Monster Energy Honda HRC rider is fourth, only 2’48” from the lead, leaving the fight wide open with two stages remaining.
Ventura continues to dominate Rally2
Martim Ventura produced another strong performance for Monster Energy Honda HRC and extended his advantage in Rally2.
The Portuguese rider once again finished ahead of teammate Preston Campbell and now leads Michael Docherty by 18’36” in the overall classification. Ventura has established himself as one of the most consistent performers of the rally and remains unbeaten in the category since the opening stages.
In Rally3, Albert Martín continued his perfect run with another victory, while Antanas Kanopkinas extended his own unbeaten sequence in the quad competition.
Quintero strengthens his championship position
Although Seth Quintero has yet to win a stage in Morocco, the American continues to collect the results that matter for the championship.
His third-place finish moved him into second overall and keeps him in a strong points-scoring position. Quintero started the rally 13 points behind Sébastien Loeb in the championship, meaning every position gained in Morocco could become important before the final round.
Loeb, meanwhile, is now relying heavily on stage points following his earlier mechanical problems. His victory today delivered five of them and keeps the title equation very much alive.
Benavides puts himself back in contention
Luciano Benavides was one of the biggest movers of the day.
The Argentinian began the stage fifth overall and more than eight minutes from the lead. By the finish, his victory had lifted him to second, just 1’25” behind Edgar Canet.
Benavides is also firmly involved in the W2RC title fight, where he trails teammate Daniel Sanders by only six points.
A difficult day for Dacia
Despite Loeb's stage victory, the overall picture was far less positive for The Dacia Sandriders.
Loeb's earlier mechanical issue had already taken him out of the fight for the rally victory, while Al Attiyah suffered another technical problem. Lucas Moraes then became the team's best hope of maintaining control of the overall standings, only to crash at kilometre 348 while on course to retain the lead.
The incident effectively ended Dacia's hopes of a third consecutive Rallye du Maroc victory after wins with Al Attiyah in 2024 and Loeb in 2025.
Sainz and Canet make it a Spanish double at the top
For the first time in W2RC history, Spanish competitors simultaneously lead the FIA and FIM classifications.
Carlos Sainz heads the car standings for Ford, while Edgar Canet leads the motorcycle rally for KTM. For Canet, it is his first time back at the top of a W2RC rally since the opening stage of the Dakar.
With two stages remaining, neither classification is settled. In the cars, Sainz, Quintero, Roma, Ferreira and Lategan remain covered by less than nine minutes. On two wheels, Canet, Benavides, Sanders and Brabec are separated by less than three.
Photo: A.S.O./DPPI/D.Saulnier
