The Dacia Sandriders team is returning to the Rallye du Maroc from October 12 to 17, 2025, the same desert battleground where it made a stunning debut last year by clinching victory. Since its introduction to the FIA World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC), the team has amassed 13 stage wins, including a dominant 1-2 finish, two outright victories, and three podium appearances.
Fresh off a podium at Rally-Raid Portugal, the Sandriders enter the Moroccan desert with ambitions high: to deliver Nasser Al-Attiyah his fourth consecutive W2RC Drivers’ title. The Qatari driver, who powered the team’s maiden win at this very event last season, carries a nine-point lead heading into the season-defining round, with teammate Fabian Lurquin navigating. No other driver has won more than three straight W2RC crowns since the championship's inception in 2022, placing Al-Attiyah on course for a record-breaking achievement.
Navigator Édouard Boulanger leads the co-drivers’ standings by a solid 14 points, as the Sandriders also aim to hold their runners-up position in the Manufacturers’ championship.
The Rallye du Maroc itself will be one of the toughest tests yet in the 2025 W2RC calendar, with a 2,299-kilometre route including 1,478 kilometres of timed special stages. The event opens with a 19-km prologue in Fes, followed by long desert stages across the Sahara’s Rekkam Plateau and back to the bivouac base in Erfoud. An all-new route challenges teams with varied terrain, demanding navigation skills and mechanical stamina.
Supporting Al-Attiyah’s title chase are renowned names Sébastien Loeb and Édouard Boulanger, and the Spanish duo Cristina Gutiérrez and Pablo Moreno. The team showed strong form recently, finishing third, fifth, and seventh in Rally-Raid Portugal, setting the stage for a thrilling finish in Morocco.
Team Principal Tiphanie Isnard emphasized the collective effort: “Our priority is to give Nasser the best chance for the title. We face tough rivals but our preparation and team spirit are strong. Morocco promises to be a thrilling finale.”
Al-Attiyah himself expressed confidence born of experience: “We won here last year and the team is motivated. I’ll give everything to secure another championship.”
For Loeb, Gutiérrez, and Boulanger, the Rallye du Maroc also offers valuable preparation ahead of Dakar Rally 2026, regarded as the ultimate challenge in rally-raid racing.
With the harsh desert stretching ahead and the world championship hanging in the balance, The Dacia Sandriders are ready to defend their crown on one of motorsport’s most iconic stages.