W2RC – Dacia and X-Raid Mini to debut new cars as 2024 season concludes in Morocco
Dacia and X-Raid Mini will debut new cars when the 2024 FIA World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC) concludes at the Rallye du Maroc from October 4 to 11.
Across the Ultimate, Challenger, SSV and Stock categories, 33 out of a whopping 125 participants registered points at W2RC.
Dacia has been developing the Sandrider with Renault Group and Prodrive for months outside the spotlight of international competition, and W2RC championship leader Nasser Al-Attiyah and his French co-driver Edouard Boulanger will lead the team’s three-car challenge. Prologue and 5 desert special stages in North Africa.
The Spanish duo of Cristina Gutiérrez and Pablo Moreno and nine-time WRC champions Sébastien Loeb and Fabian Lurquin will sit in the remaining two cars, but will not be registered in the W2RC. It is not done. Al-Attiyah is looking to win the W2RC Drivers’ Championship for the third consecutive year and will aim to defend his 25-point lead into the final round.
The Sandrider is inspired by the Dacia Manifesto concept car, runs on synthetic fuel made by Aramco and is powered by a 3-liter V6 twin-turbo engine.
Meanwhile, X-Raid will be showcasing the new Mini JCW Rally 3.0i in Morocco. The car is the first gasoline-powered car developed by the Trebur-based company and uses the RS24 engine, which has been extensively tested in Germany, France, Poland, Spain and Morocco since June.
X-Raid Mini John Cooper Works Team Leader Sven Quandt Explained: “We have been equipping Minis with diesel engines for many years and have had great success with BMW diesel engines, winning the Dakar Rally six times. “Our development team has been developing a high-performance turbo gasoline engine for Alpina over the past nine months.”
French driver Guerlain Cicherit He collaborated with X-Raid on the development of the original Mini All4 Racing during the Dakar competition in South America, and he and Alex Winocq will build the new machine. He said: “My career started with the X-Raid of the BMW X3 CC. We have tested and developed many vehicles together. I’ve learned a lot in recent years and now I’m back.”
Belgian driver Guillaume de Mévius announced just weeks before the event that he had left Overdrive Racing and signed a multi-year contract with the X-Raid team, lining up in North Africa alongside defending championship-winning co-driver Mathieu Baumel. Diesel version of the Mini JCW Rally. Portugal’s João Ferreira and Filipe Palmeiro built the second diesel-powered Mini.
Toyota will field nine Hilux cars with Overdrive Racing providing full support to the participants. Yazeed Al-Rajhi is Al-Attiyah’s closest challenger for the title and the Saudi will team up with German navigator Timo Gottschalk to strengthen Qatar and win the W2RC for the first time. Al-Rajhi won the title in Morocco last season.
Brazilian driver Lucas Moraes is seeking a top three finish in the Drivers’ Championship and will field one of two Toyota Gazoo Racing DKR Hiluxes alongside co-driver Armand Monleón. Seth Quintero and Dennis Zenz are the crew members of the second TGR Toyota. Toyota Gazoo Racing currently leads Nasser Racing by Prodrive by 30 points in the W2RC Manufacturers’ Championship.
Overdrive Racing also fields Toyotas for Juan Cruz Yacopini, Denis Krotov, Martin Kaczmarski and Hernan Garces, while Mintimes Yunxang Rally Team has fielded two Chinese machines for Guoyu Zhang and Yicheng Wang.
Spaniard Carlos Sainz has won the Dakar Rally four times and is fourth in the W2RC Drivers’ Championship. He and co-driver Lucas Cruz will drive the latest version of M-Sport Ford’s new Raptor in the team where Mattias Ekström will drive the second car alongside co-driver Emil Berkvist. These crews will not score any points in the W2RC because they are driving vehicles that comply with the 2025 technical regulations.
Other drivers aiming for Ultimate category success include Czech veterans Martin Prokop (Ford Raptor RS), Marcos Baumgart (Prodrive Hunter), Mathieu Serradori (Century CR7-T), Eugenio Amos (MD Optimus) and Pau Navarro (Ford Ranger). There is.
Baciuška on the verge of W2RC Challenger glory
Eleven of the 38 participants in the Challenger category are registered for W2RC points, but Can-Am Factory Team’s Rokas Baciuška is just a few points away from winning the W2RC Championship. The Lithuanian arrived in Morocco with a huge 43-point advantage in the standings and will team up with Spanish navigator Oriol Vidal on this occasion.
Argentina’s Nicolas Cavigliasso is the only rival with a mathematical chance of stopping Baciuška securing the title and he teams up with Valentina Pertegarini in the first of a quartet of Taurus T3 Max chasing the championship points.
Marcelo Gastaldi and Dania Akeel are indeed looking for third place in the championship aboard their Taurus T3, while they also face Mitch Guthrie in his Energylandia Rally Team machine and the highly competitive Polish trio of Eryk, Marek and Michal Goczal.
Series Leader Guayasamin Takes First Place in Bumper SSV Category
Of the 36 SSV participants, 6 are registered with the W2RC and all title contenders are based in North Africa.
Ecuador’s Sebastian Guayasamin is currently six points behind Saudi Arabia’s Yasir Saeidan (Can-Am) in the Drivers’ Championship. The BE Racing Can-Am Maverick driver has teamed up again with Argentine navigator Fernando Acosta, who sits second in the co-driver title race behind Portugal’s Fausto Mota.
There are four drivers likely to take the title in the final round. Spaniard Ricardo Ramilo is third in the standings, only 14 points behind Saeidan. Rebecca Busi, on the other hand, is fourth and scoring maximum points would see the Italian top the standings after the last event. .
Other competitors registered for the W2RC include fifth-placed Italian Enrico Gaspari (Polaris) and French veteran Claude Fournier (Can-Am).
Many drivers will use this event as a pre-Dakar shakedown and there is strength in depth across the SSV section. The Can-Am Factory team entered a new pair of Maverick R’s for multiple Dakar winner Francisco Lopez and new American teammate Hunter Miller.
This year’s Rallye du Maroc starts in Marrakech and heads through Zagora to the finish line in Mengoub Bouarfa in eastern Morocco. A total of 2,468 km are scheduled, of which 1,512 km are timed.
2024 Rally du Maroc – W2RC Competitors:
ultimate
200. Nasser Al-Attiyah (QAT)/Edouard Boulanger (FRA) – Dacia Sandrider
201. Yazeed Al-Rajhi (SAU)/Timo Gottschalk (DEU) – Toyota Hilux Overdrive
202. Lucas Moraes (BRA)/Armand Monleón (ESP) – Toyota GR DKR Hilux
205. Guerlain Cicherit (FRA)/Alex Winoch (FRA) – Mini JCW Rally 3.0i
206. Guillaume de Mebius (BEL)/Mathieu Baumel (FRA) – Mini JCW Rally 3.0D
207. Seth Quintero (USA)/Dennis Zenz (DEU) – Toyota GR DKR Hilux
208. Denis Krotov (KGZ)/Konstantin Zhiltsov (ANA) – Toyota Hilux Overdrive
209. Martin Prokop (CZE)/Victor Chitka (CZE) – Ford Raptor RS
210. Joao Pereira (PRT)/Philippe Palmeiro (PRT) – Mini JCW Rally 3.0D
211. Marcos Baumgart (BRA)/Kléber Shinsea (BRA) – ProDrive Hunter
214. Mathieu Serradori (FRA)/Loic Minaudier (FRA) – Century CR7-T
215. Juan Cruz Jacopini (ARG)/Daniel Oliveras (ESP) – Toyota Hilux Overdrive
218. Pau Navarro (ESP)/Alejandro Lopez (ESP) – Ford Ranger T1+
223. Aaliyah Kolok (SYC)/Sebastien Delaunay (FRA) – Red Line Revo+
229. Eugenio Amos (ITA)/Paolo Cecchi (ITA) – Toyota Hilux Overdrive
234. Jean-Luc Secaldi (FRA)/Delphine Delfino (FRA) – MD Optimus
challenger
300. Rokas Baciuška (LTU)/Oriol Vidal (ESP) – Can-Am Maverick X3
301. Nicolas Caviliaso (ARG)/Valentina Pertegarini (ARG) – Taurus T3 Max
302. Marcelo Gastaldi (BRA)/Carlos Sachs (BRA) – Taurus T3 Max
303. Dania Akeel (SAU)/Stéphane Duplé (FRA) – Taurus T3 Max
304. Mitch Guthrie (USA)/Kellon Walch (USA) – Taurus T3 Max
305. Ricardo Porém (PRT)/Nuno Sousa (PRT) – MMP T3 Rally-Raid
306. Mario Franco (PRT)/Louis Franco (PRT) – Yamaha YXZ 1000R Turbo
307. Eric Gochal (POL)/Alex Haro (ESP) – Taurus T3 Max
308. Marek Gosal (POL)/Massey Marten (POL) – Taurus T3 Max
311. Lionel Board (FRA)/Lucy Board (FRA) – GRally Team OT3
322. Michal Gosal (POL)/Diego Ortega (ESP) – Taurus T3 Max
S.S.V.
400. Sebastian Guayasamin (ECU)/Fernando Acosta (ARG) – Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR
401. Yasir Seaidan (SAU)/Michaël Metge (FRA) – Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR
402. Ricardo Ramilo (ESP)/Sergi Brugue (ESP) – Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR
403. Rebecca Busch (ITA)/Sergio Lafuente (URY) – Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR
404. Enrico Gaspari (ITA)/Ricardo Torlaski (ARG) – Polaris RZR Pro R Sports
405. Claude Fournier (FRA)/Serge Gounon (FRA) – Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR
2024 W2RC Drivers Championship – Round 4 and beyond:
Overall (Top 10)
1. Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah (QAT), 156 points
2. Yazid Al Raji (SAU), 131 points
3. Lucas Moraes (BRA), 103 points
4. Carlos Sainz (ESP), 100 points
5. Guerlain Sicherit (FRA), 69 points
6. Guillaume de Mebius (BEL), 65 points
7. Rokas Baciuška (LTU), 60 points
8. Seth Quintero (USA), 55 points
9. Dennis Krotov (KGZ), 44 points
10. Martin Prokop (CZE), 36 points
Challenger (Top 5)
1. Rokas Baciuška (LTU), 209 points
2. Nicolas Cavigliaso (ARG), 166 points
3. Marcelo Gastaldi (BRA), 130 points
4. Austin Jones (USA), 126 points
5. Dania Akil (SAU), 103 points
SSV (Top 5)
1. Sebastian Guayasamin (ECU), 161pts
2. Yasir Saidan (SAU), 155 points
3. Ricardo Ramillo (ESP), 141 points
4. Rebecca Bush (ITA), 120 points
5. Enrico Gaspari (ITA), 75 points
Event Timetable
Friday, October 4
Management inspection – Hotel Barcelo Palmeraie (09:00~19:00)
Close inspection – Hotel Barcelo Palmeraie (10.00-20.00 hours)
Saturday, October 5th
Maintenance inspection – Hotel Barcelo Palmeraie (08.00 – 18.00 hours)
Close inspection – Hotel Barcelo Palmeraie (09.00-19.00 hours)
Press conference before the event – Hotel Barceló Palmeraie (18:20)
Sunday, October 6
Prologue Stage – 25km – Marrakech (to be determined)
Monday, October 7
Stage 1: Marrakech to Zagora – 268 km – TBC
Tuesday, October 8
Stage 2: Zagora to Zagora – 317 km – To be determined
Wednesday, October 9
Stage 3: Zagora to Mengoub-Bouârfa – 318 km – TBC
Thursday, October 10th
Stage 4: Mengoub-Bouârfa to Mengoub-Bouârfa – 312 km – TBA
Friday, October 11
Stage 5: Mengoub-Bouârfa to Mengoub-Bouârfa – 272 km – TBA
Press conference after the event – Mengoub-Bouârfa bivouac (18:30)
Awards Ceremony – Rallye du Maroc Mengoub-Bouârfa bivouac (20:00)
Awards Ceremony – W2RC Mengoub-Bouârfa bivouac (see above)
