Monster Energy/Honda HRC’s defending Rallye du Maroc champ Tosha Schareina headlines field in Sept 28-Oct 3 race

With two rounds remaining in the 2026 FIM World Rally-Raid Championship, the upcoming Sept. 28 through Oct. 3 penultimate Rally OLA Energy du Maroc will be crucial in deciding the overall premier RallyGP class champion.

Monster Energy/Honda HRC Rally’s Tosha Schareina is in prime position with his opportunity to overtake KTM’s Daniel Sanders for the championship points lead. Schareina, with 64 points on the season (to Sanders’ 67), enters the historic Moroccan contest as the defending champion.

“Really excited to be here in Morocco again,” said Schareina. “Last year we took the victory, and now we are second in the championship – just three points behind the leader. So the championship is there and we will fight to the end for the race victory and the championship.”
 

Sand, sand – and more sand – is on the order for this year’s du Maroc route as race organizers have plotted some 31-percent – more than 40-percent of the timed ‘Special’ kilometers – through dunes and sand tracks, with dirt and gravel tracks making up the majority of the remainder of the surfaces. But the catch will be the well-known Moroccan rocky terrain, which can certainly wreak havoc on motorcycle tires, rims and suspension parts, comes into play on 11-percent of the course.

All totaled, the motorcycle class racers will face some  2,637 kilometers, including 1,530 km of special stages.

“Morocco is always a tough race, so many landscapes, so many types of ground, I think it’s a really good race to find a good rider,” added Schareina. “You have to be good in so many terrains. And it’s the last preparation for Dakar, our main race, because all the riders and teams area here. Happy with our team. Working so hard during the year, and these last months preparing for this race.

“Time to put the helmet on and let’s go for it!”
 

Joining their Monster Energy/Honda HRC Rally teammate Schareina in the du Maroc starting gate will be top five overall RallyGP point standings racers Ricky Brabec (4th, 54 points) and Adrien Van Beveren (5th, 41 points).

Added Brabec: “Back in Morocco. Been doing some testing. Happy to be back with the team after a long summer off. We’ve always had good results here. New platform with the bike I think the team’s looking good. Everyone’s excited. Testing and training, things are going smooth and looking great. Hopefully the results just keep improving.”
 

Moving on from the Monster Energy/Honda HRC Rally team, but still backed by Monster Energy in the RallyGP class with his new team - the Chinese ZX Moto marque - is Skyler Howes – the last American to win the du Maroc (’22).

“Exciting. Starting to race with a new team, ZX Moto. Thankful for the opportunity to race at the highest level,” said Howes. “And this new project, with a bike that’s only four to five months old, is a really cool opportunity for me. I’m a really big enthusiast of mechanics and development of the bike. And this project now, with ZX Moto, puts me in a position to lead the development of a motorcycle and team structure. Super cool, and something I’ve always wanted to do in my career. So I’m really looking forward to the opportunity and seeing that finish line.” 
 

And with the Hero Motosports, powered by Monster Energy team, Ignacio “Nacho” Cornejo (RallyGP) and Michael Docherty (’25 3rd place podium in Rally2) will lead the Hero program into du Maroc, with teammate Ross Branch (RallyGP) on the sidelines recovering from a recent crash during testing.

In the support Rally2 class, Monster Energy/Honda HRC Rally’s Martim Ventura leads the overall points standings heading into du Maroc, four points (69-65) out front of Toni Mulec (KTM), with Monster Energy/Honda HRC Rally teammate Preston Campbell on the overall season podium in 3rd position (through 3 of 5 rounds) with 54 points.

“Fourth race of the year in the world championship and I’m leading the points,” said Ventura. “And this race I know the best because it is the closest from my home. I feel so good here. I love the desert and I kind of familiar with it. We have been training this week and I’m feeling nice. Calm and focused. I know that a lot can happen with the race, but I’m feeling good. I will try and do my best. Continue my evolution, continue to grow. And yeah, to try to get one more step ahead in the world championship.”

As noted, Hero/Monster Energy’s Docherty returns as a 2025 Rally2 podium (3rd) placer, with Monster Energy/Honda HRC Rally’s Bruno Crivilin, 2nd at the previous W2RC round (Portugal), also favored in the du Maroc podium hunt.

2026 W2RC overall points (through 3 of 5 rounds)

RallyGP class
2nd – Tosha Schareina (Monster/Honda), 64 points
4th – Ricky Brabec (Monster/Honda), 54 points
5th – Adrien Van Beveren (Monster/Honda), 41 points
6th – Skyler Howes (Monster/ ZX Moto), 64 points
8th – Ross Branch (Hero/Monster), 31 points
9th – Nacho Cornejo (Hero/Monster), 21 points
 

Rally2 class
1st – Martim Ventura (Monster/Honda), 69 points
3rd – Preston Campbell (Monster/Honda), 52 points
6th – Bruno Crivilin (Monster/Honda), 20 points

Up now… 

Round 4 of the FIM World Rally-Raid Championship – the Rally OLA Energy du Maroc – is set for Sept. 28 to Oct. 3.