2021 FIM Rallye du Maroc - Marroco Rallye - F5 race coverage thread.

Rallye du Maroc

https://rallyemaroc.com/en/programme/

2021 Rally du Maroc - FIM Moto CCR Championship entry list.

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/2m6j8l5r...AbV5a?dl=0&preview=FIM+RALLYGP+Entry+List.pdf

All the "guns" are in the list... chambers loaded, triggers primed.



RALLYE DU MAROC 2021 PROGRAMME

Thursday 7 and Friday 8 October morning: administrative checks and tecnhnical scrutineering
Friday 8 October afternoon: Super Special (FIM) / Qualifying Stage (FIA)
From Saturday 9 to Wednesday 13 October: stages 1 to 5
Wednesday 13 October evening: prize giving ceremony.

Rallye du Maroc website: https://rallyemaroc.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rallyedumaroc/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MarocRallye
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rallyedumaroc/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOibDo9WBvEJni0FRsUn7ew
Hashtag: #RallyeduMaroc

So now it's official, Fantic Motor enters the Dakar Rally with Franco Picco!
https://www.facebook.com/FanticMotorOfficial/

Picco announced months ago he would participate to the next Dakar with an Italian bike,
I thought myself the only one could have been Fantic, as they already collaborate with Yamaha,
and when this summer they showed the new Fantic 450 (with Yamaha engine), it was quite obvious
https://www.fantic.com/it-it/moto/enduro/xef-450_811ek

Now I'm really curious to see if the new machine will look like an official Yamaha rally or will be completely different

Looks like the new KTM rally bikes have gone away from the trellis frame... big changes!

https://www.instagram.com/p/CUsDVyBLEhk/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

https://www.mcnews.com.au/2021-ktm-rally-morocco-pre/

I’m guessing drastically reduced fuel range requirements helped slim the bike down quite a bit.

The FIM minimum fuel autonomy range for CCR moto's is (still?) set at 250 km (+10% margin) I understand.

Meanwhile the USA hopes for another top American Rally racer just started heating up. Mason Klein from the Prologue in Morocco today.

https://www.mcnews.com.au/daniel-sanders-ready-to-hit-morocco/

Rallye du Maroc

https://www.mcnews.com.au/2021-ktm-rally-morocco-pre/


Toby Price – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
Covering more than 2,600 kilometres and challenging riders with over 1,600 kilometres of timed special stages, the 2021 edition of the Rallye du Maroc will be based around the Moroccan town of Zagora.

Opening with a short 10-kilometre Prologue, the race will then deliver five long, full stages held on fast tracks and open desert. As well as outright speed, accurate navigation through the sand dunes and rocky pistes will be key to a strong final result.

Coming into the event with a healthy 20-point lead in the FIM Cross-Country Rallies standings, Matthias Walkner is in good shape to fight for his second world title. The Austrian topped the Silk Way Rally earlier in the year with a commanding performance that saw him take the lead by the midway point of the race before never looking back. That, combined with his runner-up result at Rally Kazakhstan, shows Walkner is on form and ready for the challenges that lie ahead in Morocco.


Matthias Walkner
“Finally, after a three-month break, we’re ready to go racing again. It’s been a busy time in between the events as we spent around five weeks in America testing and training. That was really intense, but also very productive. I was really pleased with how I rode at the last round we raced in Russia and I’m hoping I can carry that form through to Morocco. My goal is to do my best as always, but hopefully enjoy a safe race. If all goes well, we should be close to the front at the end of the five days.”


2022 KTM 450 Rally


Showing impressive pace at the 2021 Dakar Rally and earning himself a third-place podium finish, Sam Sunderland came into the first round of this year’s world championship keen to maintain his momentum. Unfortunately, a crash on the final day in Kazakhstan resulted in the Brit being unable to continue. Now back on the bike and close to 100 percent, Sunderland hopes to use the Rallye du Maroc to build his speed while testing the new 2022 KTM 450 RALLY.

Sam Sunderland
“It’s been a little while since my last race, so I’m looking forward to Morocco. It’s always been an important race due to the type of terrain, and it also being quite close to Dakar on the calendar. I’m going to be riding the new bike, so I’m really keen to see how that performs under race conditions. Obviously, there are still some changes and adjustments to be made, and the boys have been doing a lot of hard work to get it ready. But there’s no test quite as good as the stresses of competition. Personally, I’m feeling good and pretty much back to full fitness after my little upside-downer in Kazakhstan, so I’m really excited to get back to it.”


2022 KTM 450 Rally
Making his competitive debut for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, Kevin Benavides will be using the Rallye du Maroc to not only continue adapting to the KTM 450 RALLY, but also settle into the team in race conditions. The 2021 Dakar winner signed to KTM in April but was unable to attend the opening two rounds of the world championship due to injury. Now back to his best and keen to build his speed during the final two rounds of the championship, Benavides is fully focused on defending his Dakar title come January 2022.


Kevin Benavides
“For me, this is going to the first race with the KTM team, so of course I’m really excited, but also extra motivated to do well – I feel like a new rider and I’m really looking forward to getting started. At the beginning of the year, after signing with the team, the world championship was my main goal, but unfortunately after injury that was impossible. Now, looking ahead to this race and Abu Dhabi in November, these last two races of the year will be more about training and getting to grips with the new KTM. On the positive side, I don’t feel any pressure now, of course I want to do well and plan to focus on my navigation and rhythm, but it means I have time to properly settle into the team, get to know everyone, and enjoy these two events ahead of Dakar in January.”


2022 KTM 450 Rally
Covering six days of racing, round four of the 2021 FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship – the Rallye du Maroc – kicks off in Morocco from October 8-13.


RelatedPosts
View attachment 3232313
Daniel Sanders ready to hit Morocco
OCTOBER 8, 2021
View attachment 3232317
Toby Price extends KTM Factory Racing contract to 2023
JUNE 8, 2021

Tags: RallyToby Price

I'll be following this fella.
Don't let the paunch and glasses fool you. He was winning stages and nearly the rally a few years back. (I forget which event. Perhaps ECO?)
Harite Gabari



New face for me.
https://www.facebook.com/TheGirlOnABike
(it seems upside-down handguards are deliberate)

Look out also for Jasmin Riccius (Swiss-German) too, she brilliantly won the Italian Motorallu Championship, women category of course
https://www.facebook.com/jasminriccius

https://rallyemaroc.com/en/resultats/

https://rallyemaroc.com/en/#

prologue today Friday 8e.

Live timing is live.
https://gaps.rallyedumaroc.com/2021/maroc/aso/ukie
Interesting that it's ASO's Dakar platform.
First bike starts in about 15' from now.

• 
  
  The winner of the Super Special today will be the first on the track tomorrow for the first stage. We will therefore probably see some riders strategically avoiding winning today.
  
  
• 12:29 #27 – JOAQUIM RODRIGUES (HERO MOTORSPORTS TEAM RALLY) WILL BE THE FIRST ON THE TRACK
  The 10 first bikes will start in reverse order of the current FIM World Championship rankings.
  

• 1. 12:17 ROAD BOOK
     Super Special for the bikes, Qualifying Special for the cars. They might have different titles, they share the same purpose - to determine the start order for tomorrow's 1st stage so that everyone covers the special in the company of competitors of a similar ability. On the menu: a mini 13 km liaison, a 10-kilometre sprint and then another 13 kilometre liaison back to the bivouac. The first part will be over stony tracks with numerous changes of direction, some at right angles. The second half of the special will be on faster sandy tracks, with less risk of punctures. The first motorcycle starts at 13h05, the first car is expected around 15h00.
     

There's a live stream from the start line:
https://www.facebook.com/rallyedumaroc/posts/1240607496420441

10km special = 25'-28' finishing time.
I'm curious to see how that looked.

EDIT:
This may explain it:

1. 14:32 COEFICIENT OF 4
   To minimise the tactics we mentioned earlier, the time of the Super Special has a coefficient of 4, meaning the actual time is multiplied by four. Joaquim Rodrigues (Hero) chose to go full gas, winning the Super Special. Honda did the opposite with their four riders finishing 20th, 21st, 22nd and 23rd respectively.
   

Mr. Style