Rally of Morocco, Prologue – Al-Attiyah-Lurquin in form, Lategan-Cummings in the tough

David Castera, the organizer of the World Championship of rally-raid (W2RC) and route planner for the 2025 Rally of Morocco, had warned. The Prologue of this season finale was going to be tricky, with 19 kilometers traced largely on hillsides, with even precipices and narrow passages. 

Also, not all competitors have pressed the accelerator to the maximum. For example, the winner of the Dakar 2025, Yazeed Al-Rajhi (Toyota Overdrive) took it easy and is not even in the top 15. Thus, the Saudi will not be able to choose his starting position for Monday's Stage 1, a privilege reserved for the top 10 competitors in the Prologue. 

Conversely, other favorites have already launched a strong attack. This is the case for seven-time winner of the Rallye du Maroc, Nasser Al-Attiyah (Dacia). The Qatari, driven by Fabian Lurquin, set the fastest time. It's the perfect way to kick off his week, as he aims for a fourth consecutive world title in W2RC. 

In his wake, Joao Ferreira and Filipe Palmeiro (Toyota SVR) stood out (2nd, 11 seconds behind). The Portuguese, who had won their first stage victory in W2RC during the Rally-Raid Portugal at the end of September, confirm their good form. 

Second in the 2024 edition, Sébastien Loeb (Dacia) is getting the machine back on track with efficiency. The Alsatian set the third fastest time alongside his co-driver Édouard Boulanger, just 17 seconds behind Al-Attiyah. The Frenchmen are ahead of another French duo, Mathieu Serradori and Loïc Minaudier, who are back in W2RC with the official South African team Century.

The Ford Team M-Sport places its four Raptor T1+ in the top 10. Mattias Ekström-Emil Bergkvist, Nani Roma-Alex Haro and Carlos Sainz-Lucas Cruz, made a group shot (5th to 7th). The least experienced member of the American squad, Mitch Guthrie, completed the top 10. 

Nasser Al-Attiyah's two title rivals were vigilant. Lucas Moraes-Armand Monleon finished 8th, and Henk Lategan-Brett Cummings were 14th. This is bad news for the South African team, as they will be forced to start from this position in the first stage, which promises to be winding as it runs through the mountains. 

Rally of Morocco 2025 – W2RC

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