Dacia Sandriders Target W2RC Glory at Rallye Du Maroc
Dacia Sandriders return to where their FIA World Rally-Raid Championship campaign began when they contest the season-deciding Rallye du Maroc from 12 to 17 October 2025. The team has built momentum since making its W2RC debut on the desert event 12 months ago, registering 13 stage wins, including one-twos, two outright victories and three podiums.
Fresh from a podium at Rally-Raid Portugal last month, Dacia Sandriders start Rallye du Maroc targeting another strong result and will prioritise supporting Nasser Al-Attiyah’s W2RC title push. Al-Attiyah, who delivered the squad’s debut win in North Africa last season, begins the Moroccan round nine points ahead in the race for the 2025 W2RC Drivers’ crown. No other driver has won the title since the championship started in 2022, putting the Qatari on course for a fourth successive triumph.
Édouard Boulanger leads the Navigators’ standings by 14 points, while Dacia Sandriders aim to secure runner-up in the Manufacturers’ classification. As the fifth and final round of the 2025 W2RC season, Rallye du Maroc also offers ideal competitive preparation for January’s Dakar Rally, widely regarded as one of the toughest events in motorsport and the opening round of the 2026 World Rally-Raid Championship.
The team fields a full-strength lineup for the second event in a row. Nasser Al-Attiyah and Belgian navigator Fabian Lurquin headline a three-car attack joined by French duo Sébastien Loeb and Édouard Boulanger and Spaniards Cristina Gutiérrez and Pablo Moreno. Loeb and Boulanger, third overall in Portugal, will support Al-Attiyah’s title bid alongside Gutiérrez and Moreno, who finished seventh there, with Al-Attiyah and Lurquin taking fifth. All three crews know the Rallye du Maroc terrain, although an all-new route this year makes it a fresh challenge.
Rallye du Maroc covers 2,299 kilometres, with 1,478 kilometres against the clock on demanding desert tracks that shape the 2025 W2RC decider. The action starts in Fes with a 19-kilometre Prologue on 12 October before crews head south on 13 October towards Erfoud, an oasis town in the Sahara. After a 276-kilometre road section towards Morocco’s eastern border, a 300-kilometre special crosses the Rekkam Plateau ahead of a 203-kilometre liaison to the bivouac in Erfoud, the event base for the remaining four days. From Stage 2 onwards, timed sections range from 216 to 324 kilometres, while liaisons remain under 100 kilometres to keep the emphasis on competitive mileage. The rally concludes with a 33-kilometre Power Selective Section on 17 October, when the winner and the W2RC champion will be celebrated.
Tiphanie Isnard, Team Principal, The Dacia Sandriders, said: “After servicing the cars in Portugal, the team went straight to Morocco to prepare for this final round of the season. Our main focus will be to support Nasser Al-Attiyah in his fight for the FIA World Rally-Raid Championship title, and we will put everything in place to give him the best chance to achieve it. The whole team has worked extremely hard and will continue to do so for this decisive rally. With the title to be decided in Morocco, and strong rivals like Henk Lategan and Lucas Moraes in the fight, it promises to be a thrilling finale.”
Nasser Al-Attiyah, Driver, The Dacia Sandriders explained: “Last year was very close, but we won the championship. I will work very hard, and the team will work very hard to achieve this again. The good thing is that among all of us, there is a good spirit, and we can help each other as a crew. I hope Morocco can be good for us; I have a lot of experience from doing the rally many times. I will do my best to win and take the title.”
Cristina Gutiérrez, Driver, The Dacia Sandriders, added: “The expectations are good for Morocco. After Portugal, coming back into the competition was very nice because we were back in the car again, and Morocco is essential for the season. It’s the last race of the championship, and we will work together as a team to help give Nasser the title. I can’t wait for the race and to enjoy it with the team.”
Sébastien Loeb, Driver, The Dacia Sandriders said: “We did a good rally in Portugal, the feeling with the car was excellent. We didn’t have any big issues, so that’s looking good for the last round of the season. Morocco will be another kind of rally, my second rally with Édouard, but with more navigation, so we will need to be concentrated and continue to work well together.”
Édouard Boulanger, Navigator, The Dacia Sandriders said: “The organisers are always looking at new ways to make the navigation more difficult and the race as interesting as possible. Morocco should be a key moment of this year, probably the hardest rally after Dakar. You cannot arrive in Morocco and say it will be easy, because it won’t. We’ve prepared as much as we can and know we must be flexible and address issues as they arise. We cannot wish for clean days every day; we will have stories, so we have to manage the stories in a good way.”
The Rallye du Maroc entry features car 200 for Nasser Al-Attiyah and Fabian Lurquin, car 212 for Cristina Gutiérrez and Pablo Moreno, and car 219 for Sébastien Loeb and Édouard Boulanger. Stage 1 sets a formidable tone with 300 kilometres of timed competition and 480 kilometres of road sections, a total of 780 kilometres that will test crews from the start.
