Morocco, Prologue: Three riders within 13 seconds – Daniel Sanders (KTM) fastest

The Rallye du Maroc, taking place from 28 September to 3 October, is the fourth of five events in the World Rally-Raid Championship. It is doubtful whether the final round in the United Arab Emirates (22 to 27 November) will be able to go ahead, given the hostilities in the region. The same applies to the 2027 Dakar Rally, due to take place in Saudi Arabia in January.

In terms of the World Championship, the rally in North Africa may therefore take on even greater significance. In the overall standings, three riders – Daniel Sanders (67 points/Red Bull KTM), Tosha Schareina (64 points/Monster Honda) and Luciano Benavides (61 points/Red Bull KTM) – are leading the field, separated by just six points.

Sanders underlined his ambitions with the fastest time in Monday’s prologue. The Australian completed the 18 km stage in under eleven minutes – but his team-mate Edgar Canet and Honda ace Ricky Brabec also put in strong performances, finishing just 12 and 13 seconds slower respectively.

Rally newcomer Kove Moto is making its World Championship debut with Skyler Howes (17th, +1:14 mins) in the RallyGP class and Tobias Ebster (22nd, +1:30 mins) in the Rally2 category.

More important than the time set, however, is the opportunity to choose their starting position for the first leg. As the prologue winner, Sanders will usually select the latest starting position in order to benefit from the tracks laid by the first starters. The first leg comprises a 268 km special stage and a 368 km liaison section, taking the convoy from Agadir to Zagora.