FIM stat of the day: 21
By winning in Zagora, Edgar Canet (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) secured his first RallyGP victory. To put it into perspective, he moved up to the class this season after being crowned Rally2 champion last year. That makes him the eleventh different rider to win in RallyGP, as well as the first Rally2 champion to convert that into success at the top tier. At 21 years, 6 months and 18 days, Canet is the youngest winner in the history of the Rallye OLA Energy du Maroc, as well as of the FIM W2RC championship.
FIA stat of the day: 2
Seth Quintero (Toyota Gazoo Racing W2RC) clinched his second Ultimate victory in Zagora. It is also the first time a driver takes back-to-back victories since two years ago, when Nasser Al Attiyah did it in the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge and the bp Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal. Two is also the number of places that Quintero has gained in the championship, rising from third to first. Finally, it is only the second time in W2RC history that a manufacturer, Toyota, has locked out the top 3, after the 2023 Desafío Ruta 40 YPF.
FIM: 2
Two. Marking the second victory of Hero MotoSports in Rally2, courtesy of a second rider competing in his second race with the team. After signing for the Indian manufacturer in May 2025, the Austrian Tobias Ebster opened Hero's account with a win in the South African Safari Rally. Michael Docherty, who had been recruited to succeed him in April 2026, was on track to win stage 1 of the Desafío Ruta 40 YPF when he crashed out of the race. Back in the Rallye OLA Energy du Maroc, Docherty came up one place short in the prologue and the first two stages, dropping to fourth yesterday. He set the record straight today, bagging his 38th W2RC triumph in Rally2, this time in the saddle of a Hero after tasting glory with Husqvarna and KTM. A well-deserved reward for his Hero-ic performance.
FIA: 11
The number of W2RC victories by Mattias Ekström and by Ford. The Swedish driver and his American manufacturer hit that joint target in Zagora today, undeterred by the mechanical that ended Ekström's hopes of winning the Rallye OLA Energy du Maroc yesterday.
Six of Ford's eleven W2RC triumphs have come courtesy of the 2016 World Rallycross champion, along with three by Nani Roma and one each by Carlos Sainz and Mitch Guthrie. While Ekström can no longer fight for the overall win here, other Raptors remain in contention. Sainz (third) is on the podium, 5′41″ behind the leader, with Roma (fifth) just behind at 6′09″. Guthrie (sixth) is lurking just 7′04″ off the lead.
1
Carlos Sainz, a three-time runner-up in the Rallye du Maroc (2007, 2016 and 2019), wants to stand on top of the podium once and for all. It would also be Ford's first win here. Sainz has moved into the FIA overall lead for the first time since he started driving a Ford. It is also his first stint in the hot seat since he won the 2024 Dakar with Audi.
Furthermore, this is the first time in the history of the championship that Spaniards are in command of both the FIA and the FIM races. Edgar Canet (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) snatched the lead in the motorbike rally, soaring to the summit for the first time since stage 1 of the Dakar. Nani Roma's disciple hopes to finally stand on the podium of a championship round. And why not on the top spot?
3
Toyota Hilux, Ford Raptor, Dacia Sandrider, Century CR7, X-Raid Mini JCW 3.0I… The Ultimate field is so deep that winning three stages in a row has become a rare sight. The Toyota posse had last pulled it off in the 2025 South African Safari Rally, where locals Guy Botterill and Henk Lategan brought their experience to bear.
Sixteen months on, the W2RC has witnessed a new Hilux three-peat. The competitors in question belong to two different teams: Lategan won stage 5 in the Desafío Ruta 40 YPF and stage 2 of the Rallye OLA Energy du Maroc today, while João Ferreira nabbed stage 1 yesterday. No other manufacturer had done it this season.
3 was also the magic number for multiple FIM entrants today. Albert Martín (Triumph Spain) scooped up his third consecutive win in Morocco in Rally3, a performance matched by Antanas Kanopkinas (CFMoto Thunder) in the quad race. Last but not least, Monster Energy Honda HRC have won all three Rally2 specials so far, courtesy of Bruno Crivilin in the prologue and Martim Ventura in stages 1 and 2.
14
Nothing lasts forever, not even the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing hegemony. The Austrian squad dominated the leader boards of W2RC for 14 specials, from the end of the Dakar through the bp Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal, the Desafío Ruta 40 YPF and the prologue of the Rallye OLA Energy du Maroc. It is now Monster Energy Honda HRC who takes the stage in Morocco, courtesy of Ricky Brabec. The American snatched the overall from Sanders by 10 seconds. And, as it happens, it was his win number 14!
