TOYOTA GAZOO Racing W2RC underway on Rallye du Maroc

• TOYOTA GAZOO Racing W2RC (TGR W2RC) is well placed despite a tough opening day in Morocco

• Championship challengers Seth Quintero and Andrew Short finished seventh on Stage 1

• Henk Lategan and Brett Cummings ended the opening day in 10th

• Akira Miura and Armand Monleón made up positions to finish 18th

• Wednesday’s Stage 2 features 300 km of timed running in the dunes around Zagora

TOYOTA GAZOO Racing W2RC (TGR W2RC) overcame adversity to stay in the fight after the opening day of Rallye du Maroc, the penultimate round of the 2026 FIA World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC).

Three DKR GR Hilux pickups took the start in North Africa as the team looked to maintain the positive momentum from victory in the previous round in Argentina in May. Challenging terrain and gruelling conditions made life difficult for the crews, but TGR W2RC ended the opening day with two cars in the top 10.

In temperatures exceeding 30°C, Stage 1 took crews eastwards from the coastal city of Agadir to Zagora, near the Algerian border. Competitors faced a stony surface on a steep descent during the opening section before a gradual climb as the route became faster and passed through large sand dunes.

The stage began with an extremely close fight and just 10 seconds separated the top five, including two DKR GR Hilux, after 100 km of competition. However, soon after, both the leading DKR GR Hilux hit trouble which compromised their performance on the remainder of their stage.

Seth Quintero and navigator Andrew Short – who are just 13 points off the World Championship lead after victory in Argentina – started third on the road and were in podium contention in the early stages. The #203 DKR GR Hilux lost time with a puncture, but they nevertheless ended the day in a promising seventh, 3mins 28secs off the lead.

Henk Lategan and Brett Cummings were running as high as third after 100 km before dropping back, also due to a puncture and other issues. Despite that, the #202 DKR GR Hilux crew was 10th, 5mins 17secs behind the stage-winning TOYOTA GAZOO Racing South Africa duo of Joao Ferreira and Filipe Palmeiro.

Akira Miura completed another productive day alongside his experienced navigator Armand Monleón. Multiple Dakar Rally class winner Miura is in his first season of top-level W2RC competition and gained more experience of desert conditions during Stage 1. Consistent, strong pace saw the #204 DKR GR Hilux move up the order during the day, and they were running in 15th before a late puncture dropped them to 18th place.

The challenge continues on Wednesday’s Stage 2. The 423 km route travels into the desert on a loop south-west of Zagora, and includes 300 km of competitive action on a mix of rocky tracks and sand dunes.

Quotes:

Henk Lategan: “It was not the day we were hoping for because we had to do damage limitation. It was going okay for the first 100 km; we were running a good pace. Then we were in the dust of a bike and hit a rock, which gave us a puncture. Shortly after that, we experienced a technical issue. We had a long way to go, so we were just nursing the car to the finish. I’m a bit frustrated, but that can happen when you try new things. It’s not over. We have plenty of time to catch up, we have a nice road position, and this race will have more things to say.”

Seth Quintero: “The car was working really well early in the stage, and we were moving up the rankings. Being third on the road wasn’t easy but we did a very good job in the first 100 km. Unfortunately, we got a puncture and the jack wouldn’t come down, so we lost some time. Then we had to manage a technical issue and just make sure we got the car to the finish line. Despite that, I’m happy with the result considering we were among the first cars on stage. Our championship rivals are behind us, so it was a good day.”

Akira Miura: “It was tough stage, because we were running in the dust a lot of the time. But both Armand and I stayed concentrated, and we could keep up a steady pace. The result could have been even better if it wasn’t for the puncture 30 km before the end. Despite that, it was a good day overall and we have a decent starting position for Stage 2. We’ll keep pushing together with the team to get the best possible result.”

Rallye du Maroc – Provisional Stage 1 result*

   *Correct at time of publication