MISSION MOROCCO FOR THE DACIA SANDRIDERS

• The Dacia Sandriders heads to Rallye du Maroc on a high as it bids to remain on top in three World Rally-Raid title battles
• Having claimed two Maroc wins from two starts, a hat-trick is now a key target
• Nasser Al-Attiyah scored The Dacia Sandriders’ debut victory in Morocco in 2024
• Sébastien Loeb took his turn in the spotlight by winning last season
• World Champion Lucas Moraes begins new partnership with navigator Pablo Moreno

The Dacia Sandriders heads to Rallye du Maroc later this month ready to resume its bid for an FIA World Rally-Raid Championship title treble.

With three of the five rounds run, The Dacia Sandriders is well placed in all three categories following a strong start to the season, which included winning January’s Dakar Rally and Rally-Raid Portugal in March.

The Dacia Sandriders then extended its unbroken sequence of FIA World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC) podiums, which stretches back to the 2025 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, with third place on Desafío Ruta 40 in Argentina in May.

As well as heading the race to win the FIA World Rally-Raid Championship for Manufacturers, Sébastien Loeb tops the Drivers’ standings, while Édouard Boulanger is ahead in the Navigators’ table. However, Nasser Al-Attiyah is just three points behind team-mate Loeb, while Fabian Lurquin trails colleague Boulanger by the same total.

Taking place at a decisive phase of the season, Rallye du Maroc, which runs from 29 September - 3 October, holds great significance for The Dacia Sandriders after the team took a debut victory on the event in 2024. Twelve months later, Boulanger secured the FIA World Rally-Raid Championship for Navigators, as Al-Attiyah finished runner-up in the Drivers’ division.

Ahead of the final two rounds of the W2RC season, The Dacia Sandriders has adjusted its crew line-up. Pablo Moreno, who previously navigated his fellow Spaniard Cristina Gutiérrez, has replaced Dennis Zenz alongside Lucas Moraes, who became world champion on Rallye du Maroc last season prior to joining The Dacia Sandriders.

Meanwhile, it was mutually agreed during the summer that Gutiérrez would leave The Dacia Sandriders. Part of the driver line-up since the squad’s inception in 2024, the Spanish driver leaves with every good wish from The Dacia Sandriders as she prepares to embark on her next career challenge. Her contribution to the team’s success will never be forgotten.

As is the case on all rounds of the W2RC, the three Dacia Sandrider cars contesting Rallye du Maroc are powered by ARAMCO sustainable fuel and equipped with BFGoodrich tyres.

A VIEW FROM THE TOP: TIPHANIE ISNARD, TEAM PRINCIPAL
Tiphanie Isnard, Team Principal, The Dacia Sandriders said: ““Rallye du Maroc is a very special event for The Dacia Sandriders. We have been unbeaten here since our very first participation in 2024, so our ambition is to continue that winning streak. But, above all, we need to remain focused and humble.

“We arrive in Morocco leading the Drivers’, Navigators’ and Manufacturers’ world championships, and protecting those positions remains our absolute priority.

“This rally also marks a new chapter for Lucas, with Pablo joining him in his Dacia Sandrider for the first time. Since the very beginning of the Sandrider programme, we have always been committed to creating the best possible environment for our athletes to perform at their highest level, and this new pairing is part of that same approach. At the same time, Dennis has been an important part of our journey, and we continue to support him as he pursues his next career challenge.

“We know what we are capable of, but we also know that nothing can ever be taken for granted in rally-raid, so we will approach Rallye du Maroc with the same determination, team spirit and humility that have guided us from the start of this incredible adventure.”

RALLYE DU MAROC 2026: ROUTE IN SHORT
From the southwest coastal resort of Agadir, Rallye du Maroc begins its route east to Zagora during Stage 1 on Tuesday 29 September.

Zagora, located within the Draa Valley, will then host the next four days of the event as it returns to the itinerary for the first time since 2024.

Stage 2 on Wednesday 30 September is based to the west of Zagora with Stage 3 on Thursday 1 October running to the northeast of the Bivouac.

The penultimate stage, Stage 4, on Friday 2 October, also runs to the northeast of Zagora and marks the longest of the event in terms of timed distance at 384 kilometres. The fifth and final stage on Saturday 3 October challenges crews on a route south of Zagora. While parts of the route will be familiar, organisers are promising several new elements with a pledge that every day will be “demanding, truly intense”.

NAVIGATOR NOTES: NEW CHAPTER FOR MORENO
Partnering Lucas Moraes at The Dacia Sandriders for the first time, Pablo Moreno looks ahead to Rallye du Maroc: “I’m really excited to compete alongside Lucas for the first time. It’s a privilege to work with the reigning world champion and I’m really looking forward to this new challenge. My focus will be on doing the best possible job, giving everything I can to help The Dacia Sandriders fight for a strong result and supporting the whole team in every way possible. Rallye du Maroc will be an important first opportunity for Lucas and me to start working together, understand each other and build our partnership inside our Dacia Sandrider. It will also be valuable preparation for the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, where we hope to carry that experience forward and finish the season with another strong performance.”

KEY QUOTES
Nasser Al-Attiyah, Driver, The Dacia Sandriders said: “Rallye du Maroc is an event I like, and I know very well so I am confident we can do well and close the gap to Seb and Édouard in the championship. The third place in Argentina was important for the points, but we have more work to do if we are to catch our team-mates. We have good experience from this rally and good memories, the Dacia Sandrider is a very good car. Hopefully we can have a clean rally without any problems like we’ve had in the last two races.”

Sébastien Loeb, Driver, The Dacia Sandriders added: ““It’s really great to be getting back into the Dacia Sandrider and competing in rally-raid again. It’s been a little while since we last raced in Argentina. We’re still leading the championship by three points, so obviously nothing is decided yet, but the objective is to have a strong Rallye du Maroc and try to maintain our lead. It’s a rally we won last year with Édouard, even if we had a bit of a scare at the end in the Power Selective Section when we missed a waypoint. But, overall, we had a very good rally and took the win, so we know we have the pace to be competitive in Morocco, even though it was extremely close, and we didn’t win by much. We know it’s going to be a big fight again in Morocco, but I’m happy to be back racing in the W2RC and we’ll do everything we can to strengthen our position in the championship.”

Lucas Moraes, Driver, The Dacia Sandriders commented: ““I really love Morocco. It’s a very special place for me after winning the FIA World Rally-Raid Championship there last year. It’s also a place I really enjoy driving, the type of desert, the type of challenge and the type of dunes. This year will be even more special racing with The Dacia Sandriders for the first time in Morocco and also with a new navigator. Of course I’m a good friend of Pablo already, being a team-mate, which has been really nice. He’s done amazing work with Cristina, the results have proved that. I’m very excited for the rest of the championship, especially coming off a victory on Rally dos Sertões in Brazil, a home event. It was a very special moment for me to see so many people cheering. Now we go for it again.”

THE DACIA SANDRIDERS RALLYE DU MAROC 2026 LINE-UP

#299: Nasser Al-Attiyah (QAT) / Fabian Lurquin (BEL)
#219: Sébastien Loeb (FRA) / Édouard Boulanger (FRA)
#223: Lucas Moraes (BRA) / Pablo Moreno (ESP)

RALLYE DU MAROC 2026 KEY INFORMATION

Starts: Agadir, Morocco, 29 September
Finishes: Zagora, Morocco, 3 October
Stages: 5
Stage Distance: 1,575 kilometres
Total Distance: 2,524 kilometres

FIA WORLD RALLY-RAID CHAMPIONSHIP PROVISIONAL STANDINGS

DRIVERS AFTER ROUND 3 OF 5: 1st: Sébastien Loeb, 114 points | 2nd: Nasser Al-Attiyah, 111 points | 3rd: Seth Quintero, 101 points | 4th: Lucas Moraes, 57 points | 5th: Henk Lategan, 56 points

NAVIGATORS AFTER ROUND 3 OF 5: 1st: Édouard Boulanger, 114 points | 2nd: Fabian Lurquin, 111 points | 3rd: Andrew Short | 4th: Dennis Zenz, 57 points | 5th: Brett Cummings, 56 points

MANUFACTURERS AFTER ROUND 3 OF 5: 1st: The Dacia Sandriders, 315 points | 2nd: Toyota Gazoo Racing W2RC, 250 points | 3rd: Ford Racing, 161 points

ENDS