Rallye du Maroc 2022: BRX with three cars on Rallye du Maroc

The second half of the 2022 World Rally Raid Championship kicks off with the Rallye du Maroc this week as the Bahrain Raid Xtreme team head the title chase with Sebastien Loeb/Fabian Lurquin with their Prodrive Hunter. Making a three car assault, BRX will also run 4th place man from Dakar 2022 Orly Terranova/Alex Haro and Guerlain Chicherit/Alex Winocq who will be running in his GCK Motorsport colours.

Rallye du Maroc (October 1st - 6th) will make a break from the eastern deserts used in the past, this time returning to the western coast. Starting from Agadir the route will take in six stages covering 1575 kms of stages across more sand than seen in previous years. Bivouacs at Tan-Tan and Laayoune will spark memories of Dakar Rallies from the 2000s but the stages will be similar to those seen in Saudi Arabia for the current Dakar.

BRX continues to head the tables using sustainable Eco-Power fuel thus reducing CO2 emissions by 80%, something that the team have been using all season but the push for speed never stops. The entire team has been working hard since the last round in Abu Dhabi, recently covering 2500kms of testing with three cars around Zagora and Erfoud (Morocco) in preparation for not only Rallye du Maroc but Dakar 2023 too. Updates to drivetrain, suspension and navigational procedures with the Prodrive Hunter went well in the searing near 50 degree conditions that were a real-life test so the team are happy to go straight into the two back-to-back rallies with Andalucia Rally only days after Rallye du Maroc.

Nani Roma has recently returned to the seat of one of our BRX Prodrive Hunters during the test in Morocco in which he got back up to full speed again in a car he has been so instrumental in developing. The Spaniard was diagnosed with cancer in March of this year but has fought hard through treatment to be able to return to test the car in a rally raid scenario months ahead of what was previously expected.

Following this successful test in Morocco and his driving at the Salon Privé event in the UK with the Hunter Hypercar, the two-time Dakar winner will continue to work with the Bahrain Raid Xtreme team in developing the cars as both programmes grow. However, it is unfortunately too late in the schedule for Nani to compete with the team in Morocco and Spain next month, and Dakar in January 2023.

Gus Beteli, Team Principal BRX - " Following a very positive test in Morocco we’re very much looking forward to being back rallying against the competition, the clock and the desert. Seb, Orly and Guerlain have further improved the package we have through not leaving any angle unexplored for this World Championship push in the next weeks in Morocco and Spain. These are busy but exciting times at BRX. Nani’s next duties for us will be demonstrating and testing the Hunter Hypercar in Dubai during November but most importantly, we at BRX and Prodrive have all been hugely heartened with the speed of Nani’s progress to be able to get back into the driving seat and see the smile back on his face after some difficult times"

Sebastien Loeb. #200 - "We won the Extreme E race in Chile for X44 so the goal will be to continue in the same way for Morocco! The test with the Prodrive Hunter has been good; we had a good feeling with the car and it was reliable too so everything is working well at the moment. We know that Nasser will be fast in Morocco and Audi also even if the fight is with Nasser for the championship. At the moment Fabian and I are leading and that’s good, but the gap is very small so we have to fight hard to get some more good points for the title. That’s the target for Morocco."

Orly Terranova #203 - "I am happy to be back again rallying. The test was a great experience, like a warm up, with the car very strong but also I started well with Alex (Haro, co-driver). My personal target is to do a good rally and get quicker as the rally progresses. This is a big test for the Dakar as Morocco is a tough rally but one that I enjoy too."

Guerlain Chicherit #208 - "I discovered the Prodrive Hunter in mid-September during two days of private testing in Morocco. I was very surprised to see how the car is easy to drive and I felt comfortable enough to exploit it quite quickly. I really tried to push it as much as I could because that's what testing is for but I must admit that the car is very, very strong! Rallye du Maroc is very hard for the cars and for the crews; in short, one kilometre in Morocco counts double or triple in normal conditions. I will do everything I can and if we are in the game, it will give us confidence for the Dakar."

Source BRX / Prodrive