Rally Morocco competition

The 26th edition of Rally Morocco, a round of the FIA World Rally-Raid Championship, began with the Energylandia Rally Team debuting new Ford Raptor T1+ vehicles. The Polish team entered two crews into the Ultimate category, including Eryk Goczał and Marek Goczał, as part of their preparations for the Dakar Rally.

During the opening 600-kilometer stage from Agadir to Zagora, the leaderboard saw significant shifts due to desert terrain and mechanical issues. While initial reports suggested Lucas Moraes and co-driver Pablo Moreno secured a stage victory in their Dacia, time adjustments eventually placed them in second place, finishing just 0.3 seconds behind the leader.

Carlos Sainz, driving a Ford Raptor, led for over 100 kilometers but was relegated to 12th place following a five-minute speeding penalty. Sainz stated his primary goal for this Dakar Rally rehearsal is to “maintain a clean race and build reliability” with co-driver Dani Oliveras.

Sébastien Loeb also experienced major setbacks after an electrical failure in the dunes. The malfunction caused a loss of engine cooling and power steering, resulting in a significant loss of time that dropped him to 52nd in the unofficial standings.