Lucas Moraes won the 2025 W2RC title in a Hilux, but will defend it in a Sandrider
Photography by Dacia
Words by Luke Barry
World Rally-Raid champion Lucas Moraes has moved from Toyota to Dacia to defend his title in 2026.
The Brazilian became the first driver other than Nasser Al-Attiyah to win the W2RC at last weekend’s Rallye du Moroc. Ironically, Al-Attiyah left Toyota for Dacia one year earlier.
Moraes will compete with a new navigator, Dennis Zenz, who this year sat with Seth Quintero at Toyota as team-mate to Moraes.
They join what will be a four-car Dacia lineup next season, with current crews Al-Attiyah / Fabian Lurquin, Sébastien Loeb / Édouard Boulanger and Cristina Gutiérrez / Pablo Moreno continuing to compete in Sandriders.
Moraes said: “I’m incredibly happy and proud to join the Dacia Sandriders for the Dakar Rally and the FIA World Rally-Raid Championship. This is a newand exciting chapter in my career, and I feel very motivated to represent such an ambitious project.
“With Dacia, I believe we can achieve great things and I’m very thankful for this opportunity. I can’t wait to start this journey and fight for strong results alongside the team.”
Moraes has already had a chance to drive his new steed
Team principal Tiphanie Isnard said it was “essential” for Dacia to “enter at least four cars” in 2026 to remain competitive in rally-raid, and described Moraes as the stand out choice.
She added: “When the time came to choose, Lucas clearly stood out as the best performer statistically, and his personality makes him instantly appreciated by everyone. The same goes for Dennis.
“Maintaining the spirit and cohesion we’ve built within the Dacia Sandriders was essential for us, and both fit perfectly into this team dynamic that defines our strength.”
Toyota’s driver lineup for 2026 is yet to be confirmed, but the Hilux squad remains the custodian of every single W2RC title to-date with four drivers’ and four manufacturers’ championships.
The W2RC season begins with the jewel in the crown, the Dakar Rally, on January 3-17.
Words:Luke Barry
Tags: Dacia, Lucas Moraes, W2RC, W2RC 2026
Publish Date October 21, 2025 DirtFish 
https://dirtfish-editorial.s3-accelerate.amazonaws.com/2025/10/BEq0WUre-M22_0476-780x520.jpg October 21, 2025
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