• Yesterday saw the opening of registrations for entrants to the 27^th edition of the Rallye du Maroc, the Kingdom’s largest motorsport event, held under the High Patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI since 2018.
• To fit in with the schedule of the fifth season of the World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC), the traditional date of the race has been brought forward to 26 September – 3 October 2026. Registrations are therefore opening earlier this year. Some competitors, particularly bikers, won’t have long to hesitate if they wish to secure their place; last year their category was ‘sold out’!
• The Pro Dunes reconnaissance teams, led by Marc Coma have returned from their initial reconnaissance between Agadir and Zagora. From the ocean to the Sahara, the former professional rider turned Director of the Rallye du Maroc has announced an “intense” edition, revealing in passing a few changes to the race format, particularly for the FIA categories.
• Another new feature for 2026 is that all the disciplines of the sport will be brought together at the bivouac for the first time. Under the FIM, quads will make their grand return alongside their two-wheeled counterparts. In the FIA, the five categories (Trucks, Ultimate, Stock, Challenger and SSV) will witness the launch of the Rallye du Maroc Classic, a parallel race designed for historic rally-raid vehicles, inspired by the Dakar Classic and organised by the same team, led by David Serieys. To remain open to as many participants as possible, both races will feature Open categories.
• Last year, 236 vehicles carrying 355 competitors from 43 nations answered the call of the Sahara. Sixty media outlets were accredited, and 190 countries broadcast the race’s TV programmes across five In two months’, time, the routes of the Rallye du Maroc and its new Classic version will be presented in detail at a press conference in Agadir.

 

 

AGADIR AND ZAGORA READY TO BREAK RECORDS

Agadir, the Kingdom’s historic seaside resort, will for the sixth time be the starting point of the Rallye du Maroc. The capital of Souss-Massa will thus soon be on a par with Zagora, which currently holds this record.

Private tests (Thursday 25 September), administrative and technical scrutineering (Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 September), the FIM and Classic prologue, and an FIA and Open shakedown – a new feature inspired by the WRC – will take place on Monday 28 September on the outskirts of the city, much to the delight of spectators.

A first stage on Tuesday 29 September will take the world’s second-largest rally-raid convoy – after the Dakar – towards Zagora.

Four loop stages around the bivouac on the outskirts of this second stage town will then be on the programme. Competitors will thus find themselves at the foot of the slopes, where there will be no snow but plenty of sand! The chosen location will place the centre of the race within easy reach of Morocco’s two largest ergs (dune fields) – Chegaga and Chebbi – ensuring maximum focus on sport, in keeping with the philosophy of recent editions of the Rallye du Maroc, which has attracted competitors from beginners to professionals. The distances covered in the last four stages will be mainly special stage and a selection of sandy tracks described below by Marc Coma.

Zagora will celebrate its champions on 3 October and, on this occasion, will become the finish town of the Rallye du Maroc for the fifth time in its history, joining Ouarzazate, which still holds this record for the race for a few more months.

 

 

MORE KILOMETRES FOR FIA COMPETITORS

Director of the Rallye du Maroc since last year, Marc Coma left his mark on the event for a decade abord his bike. Between 2004 and 2014, the Spaniard claimed victory three times (2006, 2009 and 2014) before entering the race on four wheels. That was in 2019, when, as a co-driver, he guided the debut of compatriot Fernando Alonso. Better than anyone else, the six-time FIM Rally Raid World Champion understands the stakes of the race, which is nothing less than a dress rehearsal for the January event.

Last year, Pro Dunes listened to feedback from the bivouac to design the 2026 edition, for which FIA crews must already be preparing, as Marc Coma reveals: “The Rallye du Maroc is the gateway to the top level of the sport for many motorcyclists. The level of difficulty is already high for the bikes. However, we’ve found that FIA crews want to push their race testing further to better prepare for the Dakar. We’ve decided to offer them more kilometres. The bike and car routes will therefore often be split; we saw that this worked well on the last Dakar. During the recce, we visited regions the race has already passed through but found some new elements. We looked for sandy sections to minimise the stones where possible, and we also selected technical sections where some of the stories of the next edition will no doubt unfold. The level of difficulty won’t be any higher, but every day will be demanding, truly intense. And there will be a surprise on the final stage…”

 

 

HISTORY RESUMES IN AGADIR WITH THE RALLYE DU MAROC CLASSIC

In 1982, in the wake of the Dakar Rally, which had been launched three years earlier, the Paris-Agadir rally was created, soon becoming the Rallye de l’Atlas, before the Rallye du Maroc, as we know it today, became the third instalment. The Rallye du Maroc Classic will take place in Agadir, where the foundation stone of the history between the Kingdom of Morocco and rally-raid was laid – a fitting symbol.

This race within the race is primarily dedicated to pre-2005 rally-raid vehicles. But in keeping with the tradition of openness to the discipline in which the Rallye du Maroc has always played a pioneering role (think, for example, of the Enduro Cup that inspired the W2RC’s Rally3 category), an Open category with its own classification will allow more recent vehicles to get a taste of the discipline.

The Rallye du Maroc Classic convoy will form an integral part of the bivouac but will have its own route with its own rules, based on regularity rather than pure speed. Here again, as in 1982, the model is that of the Dakar, in its Classic version launched in 2021.

And who better than David Serieys, coordinator of the Dakar Classic as well as the Rallye du Maroc, to design and build the bridge between these two institutions? The Frenchman is delighted to “be able to retain the same participants and the same rules as the Dakar Classic with A.S.O.’s approval, making it the ideal preparation for the main event. We know that many competitors arrive in Saudi Arabia unprepared. Here, with a race on Europe’s doorstep, both entrants and teams offering vehicles for hire will have the opportunity for a trial run, to prepare or simply to discover the discipline. The Rallye du Maroc Classic will follow a less gruelling format than the Dakar Classic, which must remain the benchmark. The special stages will be between 150 and 220 km. But Morocco offers all the elements that Saudi Arabia possesses. There will be regularity, dunes, navigation and even new features of the Dakar, which will be tested in Morocco a few months earlier.”

It is indeed in partnership with the Dakar organiser that the first edition of the Rallye du Maroc Classic will take place. A direct pathway will thus be offered to the rookie driver (a competitor who has never taken part in the Dakar) who finishes highest in the standings at the end of the five stages of the 2,000- kilometre Moroccan race, nearly half of which are special stage. Thanks to the Road to Dakar Classic Challenge, this Rallye du Maroc Classic competitor will benefit from a 50% discount on their entry fee for the 2027 Dakar Classic! And that’s not all. The Rallye du Maroc Classic will launch the Classic Series Trophy, which will reward crews who have taken part in both events. Points based on their results in these two races will determine the podium standings at the finish of the Dakar Classic in January 2027, rewarding the winners of the first Classic Series Challenge.

From next week, entrants will have two months to take advantage of the preferential rate. The media must also prepare, as registration for them will open shortly after that for competitors.

 

 

UPCOMING DATES

• Monday 20 April: registrations open for Media / Media Team
• Tuesday 9 June: press conference to present the 27th edition in Agadir
• Wednesday 15 July: end of preferential registration rates for competitors
• Friday 11 September: closing of competitor registrations
• Thursday 24 September from 12:00: opening of the service park in Agadir
• Friday 25 September: private tests
• Saturday 26 September:
  • administrative and technical scrutineering
  • private tests (morning only)
  • general briefing for the Rallye du Maroc

• Sunday 27 September:
  • administrative and technical checks
  • general briefing for the Rallye du Maroc Classic
  • press conference

• Monday 28 September:
  • FIM and Classic prologue
  • FIA and Open shakedown

• Tuesday 29 September: Stage 1 (Agadir – Zagora)
• Wednesday 30 September: Stage 2 (Zagora – Zagora)
• Thursday 1 October: Stage 3 (Zagora – Zagora)
• Friday 2 October: Stage 4 (Zagora – Zagora)
• Saturday 3 October: Stage 5 (Zagora – Zagora)
  • Press conference
  • Awards ceremony at the bivouac

 

 

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Teaser 1 2026

 

Media contact : Matthieu Perez – media@rallyedumaroc.com