FIM: A historic victory for Canet
"Anything could happen", had warned Edgar Canet (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), knowing he had to claw back 1′26″ on his teammate Daniel Sanders to win the Rallye OLA Energy du Maroc. The Spaniard pointed to fellow KTM rider Luciano Benavides pulling off the same feat against Ricky Brabec (Monster Energy Honda HRC) on the final day of the Dakar. Canet drew inspiration from that in Zagora, overtaking Sanders as he opened the course to seize the overall lead. A new RallyGP winner and the first Rally2 champion to triumph in the premier class, he is also the youngest rider to ever win the rally at 21 (see Figure of the day). The winner of the stage, Brabec, rounded out the podium 3′32″ behind Canet after holding off Benavides on Saturday.
Sanders bolstered his RallyGP championship lead ahead of Benavides and Schareina, both 13 points behind. Fourth at 17 points, Brabec remains mathematically in contention. "Chucky" is in pole position to become the first two-time W2RC world champion on two wheels. With their first one-two finish since the South African Safari Rally, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing also stretched their lead over Monster Energy Honda HRC (+23 points) and Hero MotoSports (+115 points) in the manufacturers' standings. The Austrian marque remains unbeaten this season and has now won with all three of its factory riders: Benavides in the Dakar, Sanders in Portugal and Argentina, and Edgar Canet in Morocco.
Martim Ventura claimed stage 5 and the Rally2 overall standings ahead of Michael Docherty (Hero MotoSports). The Monster Energy Honda HRC factory rider capped an almost perfect week (see Performance of the day). Toni Mulec (BAS World KTM), 18 points behind, is his sole remaining threat in the fight for the championship. Antanas Kanopkinas (CFMoto Thunder Racing) also took a major step towards the title by winning and scoring a clean sweep in Morocco. It was a day of glory for two men in Rally3: Albert Martín (Triumph Spain) bagged the rally, while Murun Purevdorj (Xraids Experience) secured the title. He is the first Mongolian to be crowned in the W2RC.
FIA : Quintero leads Toyota 1-2-3
Consistency drove Seth Quintero (Toyota Gazoo Racing W2RC) to success. Never higher than third in a stage but always in the mix, the North American won the Rallye OLA Energy du Maroc, just as he had done at the Desafío Ruta 40 YPF four months earlier. His victory is a boon for Toyota, which also put João Ferreira (+4′23″) and Henk Lategan (+4′42″) on the podium. The three Hiluxes outperformed three Ford Raptors driven by Nani Roma (+7′01″), Mitch Guthrie (+8′23″) and Carlos Sainz (+9′25″). The first all-Toyota podium in three years (see Performance of the day) also breathed new life into the manufacturers' championship, still led by The Dacia Sandriders.
The first driver to win two rounds in a row since Nasser Al Attiyah (see Stat of the day) in 2023, Quintero has wrested the FIA championship lead from Sébastien Loeb (The Dacia Sandriders). The Frenchman was in contention for today’s stage, eventually won by Eryk Goczał (Energylandia Rally), before a mechanical with just 700 metres to go ended his hopes. At 24, Quintero, the youngest winner of the rally, also becomes the youngest championship leader. Loeb (14 points down), Al Attiyah (19), Ferreira (48) and Lategan (49) remain mathematically in contention. Marek Goczał (Energylandia Rally), meanwhile, has secured the first Masters title awarded in the W2RC.
A newcomer to the Stock class, Yasir Seaidan netted Team Land Cruiser Toyota Auto Body their first podium finish. Defender Rally won the race with Stéphane Peterhansel and retained the championship lead with Rokas Baciuška. A dominant Challenger winner, Alexandre Pinto (Old Friends Rally) has taken over at the top of the championship after Puck Klaassen (KTM X-Bow powered by G Rally) withdrew from the rally. The Portuguese rider could become the second driver, after Baciuška, to win titles in both SSV and Challenger. The former rider Matthias Walkner (South Racing Can-Am) opened his SSV account by taking the win ahead of Jeremías Ferioli (Can-Am Factory), who has moved into the championship lead.
The World Rally-Raid Championship will continue at the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, the fifth and final round of the series, from 22 to 27 November.
