After last year's victory, the Rainbow Truck team finished the Rallye du Maroc again with a podium spot. Gerrit Zuurmond, Klaas Kwakkel and Tjeerd van Ballegooy successfully defended the third place on the last day.

Of all the participating trucks the Rainbow Truckteam team had the fewest problems during the six days. That again resulted in a nice podium spot, although Zuurmond had to fight for it on the last Thursday. "We drove really hard today, drove incredibly hard," said Zuurmond at the finish in Agadir. "That went nicely. We still had to do our best to stay ahead of our closest competitor and we did well. A nice third place."

Zuurmond looks back on a learning week. "We learned a lot here about what the material can and cannot take, in that respect it was also an impressive week. Above all, it was a very enjoyable week, a beautiful rally. We got a nice club and a nice result, what more could you want?"

The focus now turns to the Dakar Rally, in early January in Saudi Arabia. Before then, the MAN must be fully prepared and the Dakar pre-prologue is also on the program. "The truck does need to be properly prepared before shipping to Dakar. Together with the guys from the EBM team we are trying to get it really ready. Then, if all goes well, we will also be present at the pre-prologue."

Source Rainbow Truck team
Automatic translation from the original Dutch version

Third and fourth-placed finishes for Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah and Yazeed Al-Rajhi at the 22nd Rally of Morocco ensured that the Toyota Gazoo Racing and Overdrive Racing drivers remain firmly in contention for success in the inaugural FIA World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC).
At the wheel of his Toyota GR DKR Hilux, Al-Attiyah teamed up with French co-driver Mathieu Baumel to win the Qualifying Stage and the third of five desert selective sections. A series of four punctures cost the Qatari dearly on the second stage and he climbed back from seventh position to finish third and snatch an unofficial 22-point lead over arch rival Sébastien Loeb in the FIA W2RC Drivers’ Championship.

Al-Attiyah, who missed out on the chance to win the event for the seventh time, said: “It was not an easy rally and the tyre issues cost us the chance to fight for the win. But we set some competitive times and now have a good lead to take to Spain for the last event.”

Al-Rajhi paired up with the two-time Morocco-winning co-driver Dirk von Zitzewitz and led the event outright at the first overnight bivouac in Tan Tan. But the Overdrive Racing Toyota driver dropped 38 minutes repairing a loose steering rack on the third stage and fell to seventh. Winning stage four propelled the Saudi back to fourth and he retained his position to the finish in Agadir to retain third in the points’ standings.

Al-Rajhi said: “Morocco was a tough race with rough training for all the competitors, be it from the navigation side, to the car and also the driver. It was my fifth time here and great preparation for the Dakar. We went through some difficult times over the last six days, but won two stages and I am proud of that and Dirk did a great job.”

Former Dakar enduro rider Isidre Esteve Pujol teamed up with Jose-Maria Villalobos for the first time in an Overdrive-prepared Toyota run under the Repsol Rally Team banner. The Spaniard delivered a stunning performance to finish seventh overall.

Erik van Loon suffered a puncture and engine issues and incurred hefty time penalties for failing to finish two desert stages. But the Dutchman and French co-driver Sébastien Delaunay battled back well, setting several impressive stage times to reach the finish at the foot of the rankings in their Overdrive Racing Toyota.

Overdrive Racing ran a Hilux for the Portuguese crew of Lourenço Rosa and Pedro Prata. The crew stayed clear of major problems to reach the finish in 12th position. Argentinean driver Juan-Cruz Yacopini and Spanish co-pilot Daniel Oliveras were hovering around the top 10 until they were forced out of the event on the penultimate stage.

Al-Attiyah and Al-Rajhi began strongly and carded the fastest and second quickest times through the short Qualifying Stage that would later determine the starting order for the first desert selective section of 316.21km between Agadir and Tan Tan. The Qatari edged into an eight-second lead with series rival Loeb a further five adrift in third.

Van Loon, Rosa, Yacopini and Lionel Baud were classified in sixth, eighth, 10th and 79th, after the Frenchman missed a waypoint on the short stage, incurred a 12-minute time penalty and decided to withdraw from the FIA event for personal reasons and enter the Open category - where he eventually finished fourth. Esteve Pujol was 26th in his Overdrive-built car.

Al-Rajhi won the opening desert stage by 3min 05sec from Al-Attiyah to snatch an early lead. Al-Attiyah’s co-driver Baumel said: “It was a rocky, bumpy stage with camel grass, sandy, fast and with tricky navigation. At the end we got P2 after two punctures but survived the stage and we got four bonus points for second place and were able to benefit from Loeb’s delays.”

Yacopini was the highest-placed of the other Overdrive Racing men in eighth after Van Loon stopped with engine issues and was forced to wait for assistance, incurring massive time penalties as a result.

Van Loon said: “Navigation was immediately difficult and then we punctured on a stone but were still fourth fastest after 40km. Then, after 54km, the oil pressure dropped. The team will fix the problem and we will go for daily results for the rest of the rally.”

Rosa came home in 32nd place and Esteve Pujol clocked the 11th quickest time.

The second selective section of 315.13km wound its way through the southern deserts to the oasis town of Laãyoune. Punctures were Al-Attiyah’s bug bear and the Qatari suffered two flat tyres and then a third and fourth, which forced him to wait for Yacopini to pass by and lend a spare wheel. The resultant time loss was an agonising 53min 50sec for the Qatari, who plummeted to seventh in the overall standings.

Al-Attiyah said: “The stage was difficult and we had four punctures. We lost a lot of time. We got a little bit of help from Van Loon towards the end and Yacopini and we managed to finish.”

Van Loon and Yacopini completed the special with the fourth and fifth quickest times – Van Loon getting a single flat tyre close to the start - while Al-Rajhi was eighth and dropped 33min 22sec to the stage-winning Loeb. In the overall standings, it meant that Al-Rajhi dropped behind Loeb, Terranova and Chicherit into fourth place, Yacopini was fifth and Al-Attiyah held seventh, 33min 18sec off the lead.

Al-Attiyah used his starting position to full advantage on the third desert loop of 298.53km around Laãyoune, which was held in strong winds and sandstorm-like conditions. He bounced back strongly to win the stage by 1min 21sec from Chicherit, thus reducing the deficit to the Frenchman to 27min 37sec in the overall rankings.

The day’s performance also lifted the Qatari into fourth overall at the expense of Al-Rajhi, who slipped to seventh after losing 38 minutes on the day with steering rack issues. Al-Rajhi had been leading up to 244km. He said: “It was another exhausting day. We were in the lead after starting from eighth place but the steering rack loosened and we had to stop and fix it which cost us a lot of time 53km before the finish line.”

Van Loon, Yacopini and Rosa came home in fifth, 11th and 17th with Yacopini holding eighth in the general classification.

The penultimate stage of 345.98km ran between Laãyoune and a return to Tan Tan. Al-Rajhi bounced back strongly to beat Chicherit to the stage win by 90 seconds, despite a minor technical issue near the end. Al-Attiyah came home third and saw his title chances boosted when Loeb stopped in the stage with his own technical problems which pushed him well behind the Qatari once additional time penalties were imposed.

The result lifted Al-Attiyah and Al-Rajhi into third and fourth in the general standings. Rosa came home in seventh but there were further delays for Van Loon when he spotted an engine oil leak, stopped and failed to finish the stage.

Baumel said: “The first 200km were tricky. It was only white sand and completely flat so you could not see the difference between the lines and the off-piste. You can compare to Qatar, every 200 metres some change of cap. My driver had a good eye and he followed very well.”

The fifth stage of 289.51km ran between Tan Tan and the finish in Agadir, but included non-competitive transfer and neutralisation sections and was shortened because of reduced visibility.

Van Loon set the third quickest time to further boost his confidence in the new Hilux and the fourth and fifth fastest times confirmed fourth and third overall for Al-Rajhi and Al-Attiyah.

The final round of the 2022 FIA World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC) takes place in Andalucia on October 18-23.

22nd Rally of Morocco – result:
1. Guerlain Chicherit (FRA)/Alex Winocq (FRA) GCK Prodrive Hunter BRX 14hr 47min 29sec*
2. Orlando Terranova (ARG)/Alex Haro (ESP) Prodrive Hunter BRX 14hr 58min 24sec*
3. Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah (QAT)/Mathieu Baumel (FRA) Toyota GR DKR Hilux 15hr 16min 53sec*
4. Yazeed Al-Rajhi (SAU)/Dirk von Zitzewitz (DEU) Toyota Hilux Overdrive 15hr 29min 00sec*
5. Martin Prokop (CZE)/Viktor Chytka (CZE) Ford Raptor RS Cross-Country 15hr 48min 06sec
6. Jakub Przygonski (POL)/Armand Monleón (ESP) Mini John Cooper Works Buggy 15hr 51min 33sec*
7. Isidre Esteve Pujol (ESP)/José-Maria Villalobos (ESP) Toyota Hilux Overdrive 16hr 39min 32sec
8. Seth Quintero (USA)/Dennis Zenz (DEU) Grallyteam OT3 (T3) 16hr 44min 38sec*
9. Francisco Lopez (CHL)/Oriol Mena (ESP) South Racing Can-Am Maverick X3 (T3) 16hr 54min 35sec
10. Cristina Gutièrrez (ESP)/Pablo Moreno Huete (ESP) Grallyteam OT3 (T3) 16hr 56min 03sec*
11. Rokas Baciuška (LTU)/Oriol Vidal (ESP) Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo (T4) 17hr 09min 49sec*
12. Lourenço Rosa (PRT)/Pedro Prata (PRT) Toyota Hilux Overdrive 17hr 13min 44sec
68. Erik van Loon (NLD)/Sébastien Delaunay (FRA) Toyota Hilux Overdrive 103hr 07min 38sec*

* denotes registered for W2RC

Source Overdrive Racing

The Prodrive Hunter’s Rally du Maroc debut saw triumph today with a 1-2 finish for the GCK Motorsport car of Guerlain Chicherit/Alex Winocq closely followed home on one of the World Rally Raid Championship’s toughest events by the Bahrain Raid Xtreme entry of Orly Terranova/Alex Haro. Covering 1,575 kilometres of flat out stage action over six days, it’s the first time a manufacturer has taken a 1-2 finish on a WRRC event making the celebrations at the finish line extra special.
For the Prodrive team, this win confirms their engineering prowess on the international stage having now won FIA events in the World Rally Championship, World Endurance Championship and now the World Rally Raid Championship.
Sebastien Loeb/Fabian Lurquin won their second stage of the Rallye du Maroc as it returned to Agadir after speeding along the famous Plage Blanche (white beach) for more than ten kilometres. It was a fittingly spectacular conclusion to the event for the duo who may have lost their World Championship points lead but will be back in action in a couple of weeks time on the Andalucia Rally in Spain to fight for more
Prodrive EcoPower fuel was used in all three of the Prodrive Hunters, the sustainable fuel that reduces CO2 emissions by 80% on the arduous , dusty and rocky stages of the Sahara desert. The result backs up the BRX team’s second and fourth overall on the Dakar Rally 2022.

1st place overall - Guerlain Chicherit. GCK Motorsport. - “That feels good…everything is just perfect. That result is just awesome! I only drove the car for two days before the rally, but it gave me great confidence and fits really well with my driving style so I was certain we could do something. Now after winning here in Morocco, I now know what I can really do with my car and that’s just incredible. For the Prodrive team to build that car from a sheet of white paper and just two years later be at this level is quite amazing. Thank you so much to Alex (Winocq) because most of the time we were opening the stage and that’s so good for the confidence of the pair of us. Since the beginning the whole team gave me such belief we could do this too so thank you so much to them for the faith they’ve shown in me too.”

2nd place overall - Orly Terranova. Bahrain Raid Xtreme - “I am very happy as since the Dakar we haven’t rallied so it is good to be on pace and take second here for Bahrain Raid Xtreme. The nature of Morocco means it is not an easy rally from the start, but we have showed we have a good car and crew for Dakar. Now we need to do some good physical training between now and January and be concentrated and motivated to have a good rally in Saudi Arabia. The objective is to improve from where we were on the last year’s Dakar when we were fourth.”

Stage winner - Sebastien Loeb. Bahrain Raid Xtreme - “It’s great to take some points today with another stage victory.; we achieved what we could. Looking forward we will continue to push hard on the next rally in Andalucia that’s not far away. Of course it wasn’t quite the rally we wanted after losing some points yesterday but that’s motorsport. What we have found are places where we can further improve before the Dakar as we’re always developing and progressing.

David Richards. BRX Team Director - “Prodrive’s first major victory in Rally Raid certainly had it’s highs and lows but overall a great result for the Team as well as excellent preparation for next year’s Dakar. Guerlain was so deserving of this victory after such a measured and intelligent drive and of course a lot of credit must go to Alex for keeping him on the right tracks throughout. Orlando proved yet again how reliable he is and after finishing fourth on this year’s Dakar he must be one of the favourites for a podium in January. I feel particularly disappointed for Seb as he had the pace to win but not the luck on this occasion. However the World Rally Raid Championship’s not over yet and I’m sure he’ll fight until the very last stage of Andalucia.”

Gus Beteli. BRX Team Principal - “That’s a fantastic result to take a 1-2 the first time we’ve been here on the Morocco Rally. We couldn’t be happier to take these trophies but also as preparation for the Dakar Rally in January. It’s been a massive effort by everyone to keep the cars running on a very tough rally so we’re all very happy indeed.”

Stage 5
Tan-Tan to Agadir - 290 kilometres

OVERALL RESULT
Chicherit/Winocq Prodrive Hunter.
Terranova/Haro. Prodrive Hunter + 10m 55 secs
Al Attiyah/Baumel Toyota +29m 24 secs
Al Rajhi/Von Zitzewitz Toyota +41m 31 secs
Prokop/Chytka Ford +1h 00m 37 secs
Przygonski/Monleon Buggy +1h 04m 04 secs
Esteve/Villalobos Toyota +1h 52m 03 secs
Quintero/Zenz T3 +1h 57m 09 secs
Guitierrez/Moreno T3 +2h 08m 34 secs
Rosa/Bianchi Prata Toyota +2h 26m 15 secs.

Source Bahrain Raid Xtreme

The Red Bull Off-Road Junior Team came of age at the 2022 Rallye du Maroc. 20-year-old Seth Quintero took the overall T3 win and team-mate Cristina Gutiérrez joined him on the podium, as all four of the team’s OT3s placed inside the Top 6. In total the team won four out of the five stages in North Africa and put themselves on the verge of World Rally-Raid Championship glory at the series finale later this month.

At the midway point of the rally Quintero found himself 10 minutes behind race leader Chaleco López. Over the course of the final three stages, the Californian put down the hammer to eventually cross the finish line with a 10 minute lead over López. The 20-year-old had completed a remarkable 20 minute turnaround to win his first-ever rally-raid.

“The last stage was beautiful today, I was just kind of bummed out that I couldn’t drive as fast as I wanted to because I was so nervous.” – Seth Quintero

Quintero’s hot streak continues after earlier this year – along with co-driver Dennis Zenz – making history with the most stage wins at a single edition of the Dakar (12).

Joining Quintero on the overall Rallye du Maroc podium is team-mate Gutiérrez who finished third. Gutiérrez and co-driver Pablo Moreno won Stage Four on their way to maintaining second place overall in the inaugural World Rally-Raid Championship. The same Top 3 from Morocco will battle it out at the series finale in Gutiérrez’s native Spain later this month.

“We will arrive in Andalucia with all the possibilities of the championship still open, so what better place to decide the title!” – Cristina Gutiérrez

Two further stage wins were picked up by the team in Morocco thanks to the driving of Guillaume de Mevius. Wins on day two and five of the Rallye du Maroc further underlined the racing credentials of De Mevius who has already won stages at the Dakar and the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge this year. All the more impressive is that the Belgian's latest victories and overall sixth place have been achieve while developing an understanding with new co-driver François Cazalet.

“The last stage was quite nice and I think we have the win. It was a very nice race for everybody. All the four OT3s are at the end so we’re very happy with that.” – Guillaume de Mevius

Making sure all four of the team’s OT3s arrived at the finish line was Mitch Guthrie Jr. The American was able to transfer some of the speed that has seen him win races such as Vegas To Reno this year to the Moroccan desert. Guthrie Jr. and co-driver Ola Fløene placed fifth overall at the Rallye du Maroc and took another leap forward in their preparations for the upcoming Dakar.

“Having all four cars across the finish line with pretty solid times is amazing for the team after all the hard work. We got a lot of seat time ahead of the next Dakar and we’re excited for the next one.” – Mitch Guthrie Jr.

The next appointment for the Red Bull Off-Road Junior Team is the Andalucia Rally, taking place October 18-23. It’ll be a final tune up ahead of next January’s Dakar, as well as a chance for Quintero and Gutiérrez to target World Rally-Raid Championship glory at the series finale.

Seth Quintero: “I don’t think I’ve ever driven so cautious and scared in my life. Previously I’ve always been in the position to fight for a lead at a rally, rather than having to manage a lead. But the stage was beautiful today, I was just kind of bummed out that I couldn’t drive as fast as I wanted to because I was so nervous. It’s great to be at the finish line and call ourselves the overall winner. We came into this thinking that we were going to be out of the championship and now we’re pretty close. We’ll fight for second, and first isn’t too far ahead. We’ll keep fighting until the end and you never know, maybe we win again in Andalucia and win the championship. It would be a miracle, but anything’s possible! This race has taught me that you can never say die. I was nine minutes down on day three and then we put some time down on the last two days. The whole Red Bull Off-Road Junior Team has put in so much hard work to be here and I’m glad that it finally paid off.”

Source Red Bull Off-Road Junior Team
Photo: Kin Marcin / Red Bull Content Pool

During the Rallye du Maroc, Erik van Loon and Sébastien Delaunay showed that they can keep up with the absolute world top in the Cross Country. With the third time today and times that fit into the top five, Van Loon is fueling confidence ahead of the Dakar Rally and the Andalucia Rally in a week's time.

"This feels really great!" says Erik. "We have been competing for the podium all week, but due to mechanical problems we are not on it right now. The last stage is really the icing on the cake though. It went so hard today, we didn't make a mistake. During the rally we learned a lot about the Toyota and really improved the car. Sébastien navigated flawlessly, the car is top notch and the mechanics did a really good job."

During the final stage, Anja van Loon and Lisette Bakker went like a rocket. "We finished 11th in class today! I am very satisfied with that. We overtook a lot of other cars and baby carriages. It went super well, we didn't experience anything. The last stretch was cancelled for us because of bad weather, there was sudden fog."

Anja is happy with her progression. "We really learned a lot. Both about the Can-Am and the driving. We had few problems and went faster and faster. Together with Lisette it also went great. I was already looking forward to Dakar, but if it goes like this then even more so! On to Andalusia and even more kilometers to extend us."

The next rally for Van Loon Racing is later this month already, the Andalucia Rally. This will be run from Oct. 18 to 23 in Spain. "That's soon after this rally with again a strong field of competitors. I hope we can continue this form there," concludes Erik van Loon.

Source Van Loon Racing

Gert Huzink takes the positives from last week and the negatives need to be solved before the Dakar Rally. The Riwald Dakar leader grabbed just short of victory on the final day of the Rallye du Maroc on Thursday as the stage was shortened.

The final test was supposed to be 290 kilometers long, but was shortened halfway through due to rising fog. As a result, safety could not be guaranteed by the organization. "Today we did have a beautiful day, but it was shortened because of the fog," said Huzink. "That's unfortunate. At the beginning we lost time in the dust of Gerrit Zuurmond and I wanted to make up for that in the second half, but unfortunately we didn't get that chance. That's a shame, otherwise we could have won another stage."

It remained in second place. In the neutralized kilometers to the finish, Huzink had time to reflect on the past six stages, in which various problems came up: "I thought it over again on the way to the finish. We went through good and bad things, we have to take out the good things and solve the bad things. It's been a learning week, we've tested a lot. We learned a lot about the truck, for better and for worse. I think there's still homework for Dakar, but it will work out in the end."

The truck will be completely checked and prepared from front to back and bottom to top for the Dakar Rally in the coming weeks. Before shipping to Saudi Arabia, however, the annual Dakar pre-prologue is still on the schedule. "We like to attend the pre-prologue, so many people always come there and we have to show our face there. We enjoy doing that and driving a few more laps there."

Source Riwald Dakar Team
Automatic translation from the original Dutch version

The duo Paulo Rui Ferreira / David Monteiro on a Yamaha YXZ 1000R Rally Edition of the Yamaha Powered by X-Raid Team won the SSV Open Category in Rallye du Maroc 2022 in a competition dominated by João Ferreira until he was victim of mechanical problems.

The last day of the race didn't count with the participation of João Ferreira and his experienced navigator Filipe Palmeiro who, besides the problems felt in the fourth stage, had to return to Portugal where the driver will, this weekend, defend the championship leadership in the sixth and penultimate stage of the competition.

"Yesterday was not the best day because João, right at the beginning of the stage, had a mechanical problem that forced him to abandon and he couldn't do almost anything of the stage. David and I managed to do the complete stage, however, it was a very hard day with a lot of rock and fesh fesh. It was the longest and most difficult day of the whole rally. However, we managed to finish without any major problems. We had some punctures and got lost a few times, but everything was within the normal range", said Paulo Rui Ferreira upon arrival in Agadir after the last stage of the Rallye du Maroc 2022, who added: "Today only I lined up. The stage was short and very fun, and it was an excellent day because I ended up winning the open category. The balance of the rally couldn't be better. The car is fabulous, very fun and easy to drive. Now we will prepare our next race which will be in Portalegre at the end of the month."

Source PRF Team

And that’s a wrap on Rallye du Maroc 2022! For GASGAS Factory Racing’s Sam Sunderland, it wasn’t quite the result the current FIM World Rally-Raid Championship leader was looking for, but fifth overall in what was a seriously competitive line-up was a strong finish nevertheless. More importantly, Sam extended his championship lead to 22 points with just one round to go - the Andalucia Rally later this month.
Fighting fifth overall for Sam Sunderland at Rallye du Maroc 2022 World Championship leader extends lead with just one round to go Andalucia Rally up next for Sam and GASGAS Factory Racing

Sam Sunderland: “That’s the Rallye du Maroc done for another year. It’s been a tough one and I haven’t been at my best this week. But day by day I improved and with some small changes to the bike things got better as the race went on. All week there were some tricky navigation points and today was no exception. Seven kilometers in and quite a few of us couldn’t validate it and then we were all just riding in dust which made us all slow our pace. It was frustrating but all in all, I’m happy and I didn’t try to force the issue or take any risks. Fifth is good for the championship and now it’s on to Andalucia in a couple of weeks.”

The downside to Sam’s impressive runner-up finish on yesterday’s special was that he was the second rider into today’s fifth and final stage. After making a quick start, a troublesome waypoint early on allowed many of his chasing competitors to catch him up. With a group of riders formed, Sam kept his cool despite the frustration of riding through dust for the remainder of the day.

Knowing that any chance of lifting the 2022 FIM Rally-Raid World Championship in Morocco had gone, Sunderland maintained a solid pace to safely bring himself and his trusty RX 450F home to secure fifth overall and in doing so, further extend his lead at the top of the standings to 22 points. And now, with just one round to go, all Sam needs is a 13th place finish or better at the Andalucia Rally to be crowned world champion. Bring it on!

2022 Rallye du Maroc – Stage 5 Provisional Classification
1. Adrian Van Beveren (Honda) 1:37:30
2. Skyler Howes (Husqvarna) 1:37:36
3. Luciano Benavides (Husqvarna) 1:37:47
11. Sam Sunderland (GASGAS) 1:46:49

2022 Rallye du Maroc – Provisional Overall Classification [After Stage 5]
1. Skyler Howes (Husqvarna) 16:30:29
2. Luciano Benavides (Husqvarna) 16:37:42
3. Ricky Brabec (Honda) 16:41:17
5. Sam Sunderland (GASGAS) 16:45:20

2022 FIM Rally-Raid World Championship Standings [After Round 3]
1. Sam Sunderland (GASGAS) 74 points
2. Pablo Quintanilla (Honda) 52 pts
3. Ricky Brabec (Honda) 50 pts

Source GasGas Factory Racing

Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Skyler Howes has stormed to second place on the fifth and final stage of the 2022 Rallye du Maroc to secure his first ever FIM World Rally-Raid Championship win. The American completed five incredible days of rally racing in the Moroccan desert to ultimately finish just over seven minutes ahead of second-placed Luciano Benavides.

Right from the start of this year’s Rallye du Maroc, both Skyler Howes and Luciano Benavides were able to deliver solid stage results day after day as they fought for the overall honours in Morocco. A one-two finish on day three saw the FR 450 Rally-mounted racers rise to the top of the event standings, and despite losing a little time while opening stage four, the pair reclaimed the top two positions on Thursday’s stage five with an excellent display of speed and navigation over the 290-kilometre timed special.

As the sixth rider into today’s stage, Skyler knew he would have an excellent opportunity to chase down and catch the riders ahead and in turn make up the valuable minutes he needed to finish on the podium. Remaining focussed, despite the added pressure, Howes delivered an impressive ride on the route back to Agadir, making the absolute minimum of errors to place second on the stage, just six seconds behind the leader. The result was enough to top the final rally timesheets by seven minutes and 13 seconds and secure a memorable overall victory in Morocco.

Howes’ victory marks the 30-year-old’s first world championship race win, an impressive achievement that comes down to not only the commitment put in by himself and the team over the year developing the FR 450 Rally, but also Skyler’s focus and work ethic. Now, with his confidence high, the likeable American will shift his attention to the Sonora Rally in Mexico later this month.

Finishing stage five in third, a mere nine seconds behind teammate Howes, Luciano Benavides cemented himself into second place in the overall results. Including Benavides’ impressive stage win on day three, the young Argentinian displayed immense skill and pace over the course of the five-day event to claim a well-deserved podium. Feeling hugely comfortable on his FR 450 Rally following a summer of training and testing with the team, Luciano’s confidence and pace is now at an all-time high. Benavides now looks forward to carrying his momentum through to the final round of the season, and on to the Dakar Rally, beginning late December.

Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Luciano Benavides will return to FIM World Rally-Raid Championship action at the final round of the season, the Andalucia Rally in Spain, from October 18-23. Skyler Howes will be absent from Spain while he competes at the Sonora Rally in Mexico.

Skyler Howes: “We’re at the finish of the Morocco Rally and I finished first, which is super cool! The final stage was quite technical actually, it wasn’t a walk in the park. The navigation was tricky, and I did a couple of circles out there which slowed me down a little bit. I was still able to finish second on the stage, which was enough to win the overall, and I have to admit it’s the coolest thing of my whole life! Honestly, I’m over the moon. It’s a dream come true to take the win here in Morocco, and the plan is to carry this momentum on to the Dakar Rally.”

Luciano Benavides: “We’ve finished stage five, the last day of the rally. I really wanted to go for the stage win today but made a small mistake that ended up costing me some time. Nevertheless, I finished third on the stage, really close to the winner and second overall, which is amazing. I can’t describe this moment – I have worked so hard since last year to be in this position right now, and to have such a good feeling on the bike. It’s not only me, but the whole team have also done an incredible job on the bike and have worked so hard here in Morocco. This result is a big thank you to them. I can’t wait for Andalucia now, the next round, and of course the Dakar in January.”

2022 Rallye du Maroc – Stage 5 Provisional Classification
1. Adrien Van Beveren (Honda) 1:37:30
2. Skyler Howes (Husqvarna) 1:37:36
3. Luciano Benavides (Husqvarna) 1:37:47
4. Pablo Quintanilla (Honda) 1:39:00
5. Ignacio Cornejo (Honda) 1:40:05
6. Ross Branch (Hero) 1:41:14

2022 Rallye du Maroc – Provisional Overall Classification (after final stage)
1. Skyler Howes (Husqvarna) 16:30:29
2. Luciano Benavides (Husqvarna) 16:37:42
3. Ricky Brabec (Honda) 16:41:17
4. Adrien Van Beveren (Honda) 16:42:36
5. Sam Sunderland (GASGAS) 16:45:20
6. Kevin Benavides (KTM) 16:50:40

Source Husqvarna Factory Racing

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Kevin Benavides has successfully completed the 2022 Rallye du Maroc in sixth place. Following a tough start to the event where Benavides opened stage one, the Argentinian fought back hard, delivering strong stage results to ultimately finish inside the top six. Toby Price, who also showed great pace during the event, unfortunately crashed out of the competition yesterday on stage four but thankfully received no serious injuries.

The 290-kilometer timed special on stage five led riders from Tan-Tan back to Agadir and the finish line. A long neutralization section of 127 kilometers in the middle of the special meant that the actual distance raced against the clock was far shorter, resulting in a relative sprint finish to the event.

Setting off third into the final stage of the race, Kevin Benavides had planned to use his position to catch the riders in front. However, one waypoint early in the timed special caused some issues for many riders, which ended up in a group of four riding together, including Benavides. As such, it was difficult for the KTM 450 RALLY racer to pull ahead and make up the time as planned.

Ultimately completing the stage in eighth place, just under six minutes down on the winner, Kevin secured his sixth-place finish overall. Despite not quite being the result he had hoped for, the former Dakar Champion was able to take many positives from the event. With one FIM World Rally-Raid Championship round remaining before the Dakar Rally in January, Benavides will be aiming to finish his 2022 season on a high before switching his focus to the big one in Saudi Arabia early next year.

Kevin Benavides: “Although I’m really happy with my riding and how the bike feels, I didn’t have the best finish to my rally today. I started third, but then early on at around kilometer 15, a group of us struggled to find one waypoint and that ended up in all of us riding together for the whole stage. After that it was really tough to make up time because you were always in someone else’s dust. After the refueling we set off again to the finish and it was more like a motocross race with us all together. All-in-all I’m happy with my performance here in Morocco. After leading out the first stage, it was tough to get that time back and it made our strategy difficult too. But over the whole rally I think I opened over 600 kilometers, which is really good experience for my navigation and speed. Next up is the race in Spain before the Dakar early next year, so the team will continue to work hard and hopefully we can get back onto the podium.”

Unfortunately crashing out of the rally on stage four, Toby Price was thankfully given the all-clear by medical staff and sustained no serious injuries. We hope to see the two-time Dakar Champion back aboard his KTM 450 RALLY as soon as possible.

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing now move on to round four of the FIM World Rally-Raid Championship, the Andalucia Rally, held in Spain from October 18-23.

Source Red Bull KTM Factory Racing

GCK Motorsport has claimed its first international triumph in Morocco’s Rallye du Maroc, holding its own against the discipline’s elite. Winning a leg of the FIA W2RC is all the more laudable given that driver Guerlain Chicherit had only just taken possession of the vehicle.

GCK Motorsport has set itself the ambitious target of winning the Dakar with a hydrogen-powered car by 2027, which involves learning the ropes in a high-performance car to build and nurture the team’s winning culture. With the GCK Thunder’s chances of victory scuppered by the new regulations, the team opted for the Prodrive Hunter, a 4WD powered by a biofuel with 80% less greenhouse gas emissions compared to ordinary fuel.
A victory for experience
Guerlain Chicherit went to Morocco to gain experience and returned with a victory and a bootload of admiration from onlookers. Esteem for a driver, who unlike his young team, already has a solid grounding including 11 Dakars, the 2009 W2RC title and the top spot at last year’s Silk Way Rally. Many will also remember his stage 3 win at his last Rallye du Maroc in a BMW X3 in 2010.
A tough journey!
Stage 5 (of 6) in this year’s Rallye du Maroc featured a slew of punctures – causing nightmares for several teams. On Monday, Guerlain Chicherit and co-driver Alex Winocq had to contend with three blow-outs and use two spares. Limping along with a flat tyre for 30 kilometres put them 18 minutes behind stage winner Sébastien Loeb, a handicap which could have proved fatal. But on brittle ground where “every kilometre counts treble” according to Chicherit, consistency pays. He ranked in the top four every day and reaped the just reward. Ahead on the eve of stage 4, the Frenchman forged the gap, while a steering issue put paid to Loeb’s chances of clawing back. At the start of stage 6, all that remained was to “stay focused and make no navigation errors”.
Next up: The Dakar Rally
After 2,319 kilometres, including 1,506 of timed sections, Chicherit and Winocq won the Rallye du Maroc with a 10 min 55 sec lead over Terranova-Haro (BRX) and 29 min 24 on Al-Attiyah-Baumel (Toyota). The victory puts GCK Motorsport among the serious contenders for the 2023 Dakar and proves that when it comes to sporting, technological and ecological challenges, this team means business.

Guerlain Chicherit, GCK Motorsport driver: "We had two private test days in the car before the Rallye du Maroc. I had a feeling we would do well, but I didn’t bank on winning. It’s incredible! The enthusiasm surrounding this result backs up the premise that motor racing is still the best showcase for new technology. We won today with biofuel made from agricultural waste. In the near future, we aim to win thanks to the electric-hydrogen technology we are developing."

Source GCK Motorsport
Photo DPPI

The penultimate stage between Laayoune and Tan-Tan saw plenty of upsets. In the motorcycle category, Ricky Brabec (Monster Energy Honda) won the day and took the overall lead. In the car category, Sebastien Loeb (Bahrain Raid Xtreme) pulled out of the special stage with a technical problem, allowing Nasser Al Attiyah (Toyota Gazoo Racing), 3rd on the day, to take a major option on the world championship. Guerlain Chicherit (GCK Motorsports) increased his lead in the overall standings on the eve of the finish. In T3, "Chaleco" Lopez (Can-Am Factory South Racing) lost the lead to Seth Quintero (Red Bull Off-Road Junior). Given everything that’s happened over the last 4 days it would be a brave man to make any bets on the final outcome in Agadir tomorrow.

ON TRACK
Clearly the American bike competitors like riding in Morocco. On today’s penultimate special Ricky Brabec (Monster Energy Honda) not only took the win but with it the overall lead. That’s his good news. His not so good news is that fellow American Skyler Howes (Husqvarna Factory Racing) is only 1’11” behind and starts tomorrow back in 6th place. Rally logic suggestions that Brabec will lose time opening, while Howes will gain time following and is therefore favourite for the top step of the final podium. However, neither is too keen to make any prognostics because they both know that the terrain and navigation are so tricky here that anything can happen. A truism that Toby Price (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) knows only too well. Third place overall this morning the likeable Australian crashed at pk 85. Evacuated by helicopter suffering from concussion, further examinations found nothing more serious. No surprises in Rally2 with Mason Klein (BAS World KTM Racing) coming across the line 13’48” ahead of teammate Bradley Cox. Overall the American leads the South African by 42’11”. In Rally3 the Indian Sherco rider Abdul Wahid finally broke Amine Echiguer’s stranglehold on the category with the Moroccan rider maintaining his overall lead 12’21” ahead of Guillaume Borne. Already victorious yesterday, Axel Dutrie (Drag'on Rally) won the quad category again today less than a minute ahead of Alexandre Giroud, actual leader of the world championship. Manuel Andujar completes the podium on the day's stage and retains the overall classification of the Rallye du Maroc.

In the cars, it’s a four-act drama being played out between Al Attiyah and Loeb. Today's episode saw the Frenchman come to a stop at pk 127. Without power steering, the Bahrain Raid Xtreme driver was unable to continue. A catastrophic scenario for the leader of the world championship who was only one point ahead of the Toyota Gazoo Racing driver. Nasser took the third place on the day 2'30'' behind teammate and winner of the day Al Rajhi (Toyota Overdrive). Guerlain Chicherit (GCK Motorsports), repeats yesterday’s 2nd place, 1'30'' behind the Saudi. In the general standings, Chicherit increases his lead over Terranova (Bahrain Raid Xtreme). The Frenchman now has a cushion of 9'57''. A comfortable lead on the eve of the finish, especially since Nasser Al Attiyah is at 28'37'' and Al Rajhi at 40'48''.

In T3, the W2RC leader was upset by a Red Bull Off-Road Junior Team hattrick! Cristina Gutierrez, who had not yet taken a stage, won ahead of Seth Quintero and Mitch Guthrie who finished less than two minutes behind the Spaniard. "Chaleco" Lopez (Can-Am Factory Can-Am), finished 8th nearly 13 minutes behind. The Chilean, who has led the overall since the start, hands the leadership to Seth Quintero who is now 11'24" ahead. Cristina Gutierrez completes the podium only 43 seconds behind the Can-Am driver.

In T4, the Pole Marek Goczal (Cobant-Energylandia Rally Team) won the stage with the 10th fastest time behind the T1s. He finished just under 5 minutes ahead of world championship leader Austin Jones (Can-Am Factory South Racing) and Lithuania's Rokas Baciuska (South-Racing Can-Am). In the overall standings, Rokas Baciuska maintains the lead ahead of Pau Navarro (FN Speed) and Gonzalez Ferioli (South Racing Can-Am).

W2RC
On the eve of the final finish line the battle for the different W2RC World Championship titles is hottng up. Sebastien Loeb's (Bahrain Raid Xtreme) troubles should benefit Nasser Al Attiyah (Toyota Gazoo Racing) who could take the lead of the championship before the last round in Andalusia. Mason Klein (Rally2, BAS World KTM Racing Team), winner today, Alexandre Giroud (quad, Yamaha SMX Drag'on), 2nd of the stage, and Rokas Baciuska (T4, South-Racing Can-Am), 3rd today, are on track to consolidate their lead in their respective categories. RallyGP leader Sam Sunderland (GasGas Factory Racing), who was second today and third overall, is also in a strong position.

However, the suspense remains in the T3 category. Seth Quintero (Red Bull Off-Road Junior Team), 2nd on the day and 3rd in the world championship before the start of the Rallye du Maroc, has taken the lead in the overall classification. But only 43 seconds separate the two leaders of the world championship, 'Chaleco’ Lopez (Can-Am Factory South Racing) and Cristina Gutierrez (Red Bull Off-Road Junior Team)

QUOTES
Ricky Brabec (Monster Energy Honda) - “Good day today. Starting a way back on the longest stage worked in my favour. The only downside is that tomorrow I’m going to have to open the track. This is rally so anything can happen but we’re going to stay focused and do our best so that we end up somewhere on the podium - hopefully on the top step.”

Skyler Howes (Husqvarna Factory Racing) - “Today has worked out good for us in the overall results. Tomorrow we have a little bit more of a rear start to close it on in on the final day. But if it is once thing we’ve learnt on the Rally du Maroc is that something tricky can happen and that even if you have plenty of tracks to follow they play a little bit with these hidden waypoints. We’ll just keep pushing and take it a kilometre at a time.”

Guerlain Chicherit (GCK Motorsports) - "The goal of the day was to consolidate our first place overall. We tried to drive fast in the first part, and that's what we did. At the neutralisation we had already taken more than two minutes off Nasser so we decided to drive cooler to bring the car safely back to the bivouac. I set the bar very high saying that we came to win and we will do everything we can to achieve that. Tomorrow we're going to drive like presidents, with our hands out to greet the crowd! If we do the Andalucía Rally, it will be the first time I've ever done the Dakar with a good car, good preparation and plenty of confidence.”

Nasser Al Attiyah (Toyota Gazoo Racing) - "This Rallye du Maroc is difficult for everyone because we are not used to coming to these regions, it is really interesting and it gives quite a few changes every day. Our target was Séb (Loeb) and we are focused on the world championship. Tomorrow we don't need to attack, it's an important day and we need to secure our position in the championship."

Sebastien Loeb (Bahrain Raid Xtreme) - "I had a power steering pressure alarm, we stopped, oil was leaking from a high pressure hose. We had 200 km left, which is impossible to do in the desert with these cars. We will try to score some points in the special stage tomorrow. It's not looking good for the championship for sure, but Nasser may also have a problem, we don't know what the future holds.”

TOMORROW’S PROGRAMME

Etape 5 : Tan-Tan – Agadir
Liaison : 89 km / SS : 290 km (77%) / total : 379 km)

Flat out on the Plage Blanche
David Castera: "The final stage will take the competitors to a finish along the Atlantic. It will be sandy from the start and you will have to stay focused on navigation all the way back to Agadir and not let yourself get distracted by the ocean scenery. Before the finish, the competitors will take the famous Plage Blanche on which they will be at full speed for more than ten kilometres. The kind of moment that we all appreciate.”

 Source Rallye du Maroc
Photo Rallyzone