FIM crushing blow: Schareina sees his crown and points slip away
Going into the Rallye OLA Energy du Maroc as the defending champion and second-placed rider in the championship, Tosha Schareina (Monster Energy Honda HRC) was among the hot favourites. The Spaniard went on to finish sixth in RallyGP, 25 minutes behind his countryman Edgar Canet (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing). Hampered by a nasty crash in the Rallye dos Sertões in late August, he has not been his usual self this week.
His run of five consecutive W2RC podiums comes to an end and his chances of becoming world champion have taken a hit. Schareina has gone from standing just three points behind Daniel Sanders (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) to leaving Zagora 18 points behind the Australian, level with Luciano Benavides (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing).
FIA crushing blow: Nothing works out for Loeb
A mechanical on day one cost Sébastien Loeb (The Dacia Sandriders) his chances of winning the Rallye OLA Energy du Maroc. The Frenchman knew his championship lead was under threat from Seth Quintero (Toyota Gazoo Racing W2RC) if the American won here, but he was determined to salvage valuable points by picking up stage points. Indeed, he was leading today's stage and on track to collect 5 points at the finish when another mechanical dashed his hopes… 700 metres from the line. Loeb, the W2RC leader heading into the rally, drops to second place, 14 points behind Quintero.
FIM: Benavides pays the price for his early start
Yesterday's winner, Luciano Benavides (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), faced the arduous task of opening the course, and it did not work out for him. Eighth at 9′58″, the Argentinian has lost significant ground in the overall, slipping from second, 1′25″ behind the leader, to fourth at 9′53″. The podium is within reach, with Ricky Brabec (Monster Energy Honda HRC) third and only 1′44″ ahead. The duel from the end of the 2026 Dakar is back on, with Honda no. 9 and KTM no. 77 going head to head!
No hat-trick for Dacia
A mechanical knocked Sébastien Loeb (The Dacia Sandriders) out of contention for the Rallye OLA Energy du Maroc in stage 1. When his teammate Nasser Al Attiyah suffered a similar fate 24 hours later, the team pinned its hopes on the new overall leader, Lucas Moraes. The Brazilian was on track to retain the top spot, but he crashed at km 348. The Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge will provide the last chance for Moraes to triumph with Dacia before moving on. While Dacia will find solace in Loeb's stage win, they have had to give up on their dreams of winning in Morocco for the third time in a row, after Al Attiyah in 2024 and the Frenchman in 2025.
Al Attiyah comes up 9 km short
Nasser Al Attiyah (The Dacia Sandriders) seemed poised to bag his 54th career W2RC victory. The Qatari had seized the FIA stage lead at km 221 and never looked back. By the last time check before the finish, at km 276, his advantage had ballooned to 1′32″ over Henk Lategan (Toyota Gazoo Racing W2RC) and he had taken over the virtual lead. And then, with 9 km to go, a mechanical sent it all down the drain. His teammate Sébastien Loeb towed him to the finish, but Al Attiyah now sits twentieth overall in the FIA ranking, almost 45 minutes down on the leader, his brother in arms Lucas Moraes.
His eighth Rallye du Maroc title will have to wait, but he needs to keep pushing hard if he wants to win the world championship. Al Attiyah landed in Morocco in second place in the championship, 3 points behind Loeb and 10 ahead of Seth Quintero (Toyota Gazoo Racing W2RC). He has to gain as many places as he can to earn points (which are awarded to the top 15). There are also stage points on offer for the top 5 in every special.
Loeb's momentum cut short
A crushing blow: Loeb's momentum cut short
"It's good to be in the fight but we know this sport is unpredictable. We shouldn't get ahead of ourselves", warned Sébastien Loeb ahead of the Rallye OLA Energy du Maroc, which he started as the world championship leader. The Frenchman was right to be cautious. Indeed, he was the first big casualty of the 2026 edition. A mechanical at km 202 dashed his hopes of a second consecutive win in Morocco. Loeb is no longer in contention for the overall and could even lose the overall lead, as he held a meagre advantage of 3 points over his teammate Nasser Al Attiyah and 13 over Seth Quintero (Toyota Gazoo Racing W2RC).
