A fleet of newly-built desert racing machines are now ready to take on the Dakar after proving themselves at the 2024 Rallye du Maroc. Five punishing days of racing on Saharan dunes tested the entire convoy to the limit before one former champion in an all-new car came out on top. As the dust settles in Morocco let’s find out who won the rally and who finished on top in the FIA World Rally-Raid Championship (FIA W2RC)…
The biggest names in rally-raid brought their new vehicles to the endless sandpit that is the Moroccan Sahara this week. Coming out on top in the Ultimate class was Nasser Al-Attiyah racing his Dacia Sandrider for the very first time. The Qatari driver and his latest set of wheels were in perfect sync over the racing distance of 1,517 kilometres in Morocco. Not only did Al-Attiyah win his seventh Rallye du Maroc, he also got his hands on his third consecutive FIA W2RC title.
“It feels so good to get my seventh win here at Rallye du Maroc. Also to win the FIA World Championship for the third time feels great. On top of everything it’s a win for Dacia in our first rally!” – Nasser Al-Attiyah
It was a double celebration at the finish line inside Al-Attiyah’s Dacia Sandrider as co-driver Édouard Boulanger also won FIA W2RC honours. Boulanger’s season alongside Al-Attiyah has seen him claim his first FIA W2RC co-driver title.
It was an impressive debut for Dacia as they prepare to take on their first Dakar in January. Winning the fifth and final stage in Morocco to secure second place overall were Al-Attiyah’s team-mates Sébastien Loeb and co-driver Fabian Lurquin.
“This is our first rally with Dacia and we’re first and second so that shows we have a really competitive car.” – Sébastien Loeb
Celebrating a great week’s work in Morocco with her Dacia team-mates at the finish line in Mengoub was the third Dacia driver Cristina Gutiérrez along with co-driver Pablo Moreno. Dacia’s trio of talented drivers can be optimistic about their debut Dakar after impressive results in Morocco.
Among the other drivers tuning up a new ride at this edition of Rallye du Maroc was Guillaume De Mévius. The Belgian secured third place overall in his new X-raid MINI JCW Rally machine alongside co-driver Mathieu Baumel.
“It was our first race with X-Raid and we can be very happy with the result. We lost some time on the final stage, but we stayed on the podium so I’m very happy about that.” – Guillaume De Mévius
Failure to start Stage 2 put Carlos Sainz out of the running for the overall podium in Morocco. However, that didn’t prevent the Spaniard from collecting a stage win in his Ford Raptor T1+ on Stage 4. Sainz and co-driver Lucas Cruz will defend their Dakar title in their all-new Ford Performance vehicle in Saudi Arabia in the New Year and have now shown that their car can pack a real punch.
“It’s clear to me that things are going in the right direction. The stage win this week was very emotional for the whole team.” – Carlos Sainz
Sainz was joined in Morocco by fellow Ford Performance crew of Mattias Ekström and co-driver Emil Bergkvist. The Swedish duo managed to put plenty of kilometres on the clock as part of the team’s preparation for the upcoming Dakar.
Toyota Gazoo Racing made it three FIA W2RC Constructor wins on the spin thanks to consistent seasons by drivers Lucas Moraes and Seth Quintero. Quintero and co-driver Dennis Zenz finished strongly with a runners-up result on the final stage to end up fifth overall. Meanwhile, the highlight of Moraes and co-driver Armand Monleon‘s week in Morocco was winning Stage 2 as Moraes secured third place overall in the FIA W2RC.
“I have to say thanks to all the fans who have been sending such great messages of support this week. It’s still unbelievable for me to be racing against all of these legends.” – Lucas Moraes
In the Challenger class there was an historic three-peat pulled off by Rokas Baciuška. The Lithuanian driver is the 2024 FIA W2RC Challenger class champion after winning the SSV crown for the previous two seasons. Baciuška thanked co-driver Fausto Mota who replaced his regular navigator Oriol Vidal who missed out on Morocco due to injury.
“It’s hard to believe I’ve become the world champion for the third time. Special thanks to my brother Oriol Vidal and to Fausto Mota for stepping in!” – Rokas Baciuška
There was a spot on the Challenge class podium for Dania Akeel at Rallye du Maroc. The Saudi Arabian driver’s result alongside Stephane Duple is a deserved reward for a season of consistent improvement behind the wheel of her Taurus T3 Max.
“I loved every bit of this rally, the terrain reminded me a lot of what we find at the Dakar. It’s always great to race in the desert.” – Dania Akeel
Mitch Guthrie Jr. and co-driver Kellon Walch signed off from the Challenger class in Morocco with a string of impressive stage results. The all-American duo will now transfer their skills to the Ultimate class category when they take charge of their Ford Raptor T1+ at the upcoming Dakar.
In the SSV class it was Francisco ‘Chaleco’ López and co-driver Sebastian Cesana who blasted their way to front of the Experimental category. López is a three-time Dakar winner in the Lightweight divisions and is clearly in good rhythm ahead of another trip to Saudi Arabia.
In the bike race we saw a return to the top step of the podium for Australian rider Daniel ‘Chucky’ Sanders. The newly-recruited Red Bull KTM Factory Racing biker nailed the navigational challenges in Morocco to finish over 10 minutes in front of second placed Tosha Schareina. It’s Chucky’s first rally-raid win since the 2023 Sonora Rally and a deserved reward for all the hard work put in recovering from a broken femur.
“Winning here is definitely a massive accomplishment for me and the team. We’ve come a long way in these last months and we’ve made some gains. I’m so happy to be back on the top step.” – Daniel Sanders
Coming third in the two-wheel contest was Luciano Benavides, now a KTM team-mate of Sanders. Benavides was pleased with his Dakar prep in Morocco and congratulated Ross Branch who has now succeed him as the latest FIM W2RC bike race champion.
“We’ve been working on the setup of the bike this week and that’s important work before the next Dakar. Plus it’s always great to finish on the podium.” – Luciano Benavides
Taking the win and putting a second rider on the podium proves that all the hard work that Red Bull KTM Factory Racing have been putting in away from the spotlight of the FIM W2RC is paying off. Now the squad will be targeting the top step of the podium at the next Dakar. In Saudi Arabia they will have two-time winner Kevin Benavides back in the saddle.
It was a solid performance on his Sherco bike by Harith Noah this week in Morocco. A Top 10 overall result puts the Indian rider on course for his fifth shot at the Dakar.
Over 1,500 kilometres of racing on the dunes of the Sahara Desert is now complete. The next assignment for the rally-raid convoy is the two-week long Dakar, starting on January 3. New machinery has been successfully tested at the Rallye du Maroc this week. Now only time will tell if these new desert machines can withstand the unique challenges of the Dakar Rally.
Rallye du Maroc Final Standings
Rallye du Maroc – Ultimate Class – Top 3
1. N. AL-ATTIYAH (QAT) DACIA 14:26:34
2. S. LOEB (FRA) DACIA +05:10
3. G. DE MEVIUS (BEL) MINI +13:45
Rallye du Maroc – Challenger Class – Top 3
1. E. GOCZAL (POL) TAURUS 15:14:11
2. M. GOCZAL (POL) TAURUS +09:51
3. D. AKEEL (SAU) TAURUS +27:21
Rallye du Maroc – Bike Class – Top 3
1. D. SANDERS (AUS) KTM 15:45:06
2. T. SCHAREINA (ESP) HONDA +11:07
3. L. BENAVIDES (ARG) KTM +21:03
2024 FIA World Rally-Raid Championship Rankings
FIA W2RC – Ultimate Class – Top 3
1. N. AL-ATTIYAH (QAT) DACIA 202 points
2. Y. AL RAJHI (SAU) TOYOTA 160
3. L. MORAES (BRA) TOYOTA 117
FIA W2RC – Challenger Class – Top 3
1. R. BACIUSKA (LTU) CAN-AM 217 points
2. N. CAVIGLIASSO (ARG) TAURUS 187
3. M. GASTALDI (BRA) TAURUS 143
QUOTES
Nasser Al-Attiyah: “It feels so good to get my seventh win here at Rallye du Maroc. Also to win the World Championship for the third time feels great. And on top of everything it’s a win for Dacia in our first rally! The last Dakar was very tough for us so it’s good that we could come back strong. I’m looking forward to bringing our Dacia Sandrider to the next Dakar.”
Sébastien Loeb: “This is our first rally with Dacia and we’re first and second so that shows we have a really competitive car. We had a couple of issues here in Morocco, but overall it was a really good experience. It was so important for us to do a rally like this to see what is the performance of our car. The results are good but also we have identified some things to work on before the Dakar.”
Guillaume De Mévius: “It was our first race with X-Raid and we can be very happy with the result. We lost some time on the final stage, but we stayed on the podium so I’m very happy about that. Now the hard work with the team carries on ahead of the next Dakar.”
Carlos Sainz: “In general I’m quite pleased with the week. We’ve been racing a brand-new car and we’ve been able to show good speed. The car has been working well, except for one day. It’s clear to me that things are going in the right direction. The stage win this week was very emotional for the whole team.”
Lucas Moraes: “I have to say thanks to all the fans who have been sending such great messages of support this week. It’s still unbelievable for me to be racing against all of these legends. It’s been great to drive the whole championship this year. I feel very well prepared for the next Dakar.”
Seth Quintero: “Things didn’t go exactly how we wanted them to go this week, but we’re still in the Top 5 overall. I’ve been dealing with some back pain but I tried to put that out of my mind on the final stage and just go for it. I’m glad that Lucas and I could deliver the team another championship.”
Rokas Baciuška: “It’s hard to believe I’ve become the world champion for the third time. I’ve been waiting for this for a long time and we’ve been working hard for it all season. Thanks to those who have supported throughout the season. Special thanks to my brother Oriol Vidal and to Fausto Mota for stepping in!”
Dania Akeel: “This was such an interesting race with such challenging terrain. I loved every bit of this rally, the terrain reminded me a lot of what we find at the Dakar. It’s always great to race in the desert.”
Daniel Sanders: “Winning here is definitely a massive accomplishment for me and the team. We’ve come a long way in these last months and we’ve made some gains. I’m so happy to be back on the top step. It’s been a year and a half since I broke my femur and I’m super pumped to be back. This week was great preparation for Dakar.”
Luciano Benavides: “It was a super tricky final stage with very difficult navigation. I was opening the way during the stage and I think I did a good job. We’ve been working on the setup of the bike this week and that’s important work before the next Dakar. It’s always great to finish on the podium.”
