Toby Hederics has a blueprint to take him to his Dakar Rally début in 2025, running races in his home country of Australia as well as select World Rally-Raid Championship events. As it turns out, he only needed one round overseas to already have his registration for Dakar guaranteed.
Hederics and fifty-four other riders entered the W2RC’s season-ending Rallye du Maroc with the goal of winning the Road to Dakar, a programme that waives the Dakar Rally entry fee for the top-performing riders and SSV drivers with no prior experience there. Despite his lack of experience outside of Australia, Hederics impressed as he finished sixth overall in the Rally2 class and seventeenth among all bikes to earn his ticket to Dakar. In the smaller, six-car SSV Road to Dakar, William Grarre did the same after surviving a brutal race.
Jaromír Romančík started on a strong note as he won Stage #1 and was the fastest RtD bike entrant through the rally’s halfway mark after three legs, though Hederics was behind him by just two minutes. A malfunctioning roadbook and a crash in the first third of Stage #4 caused Romančík to lose the top spot, though he managed to finish eleventh in Rally2. Hederics beat him by 7:35 in the fifth and final stage to clinch the RtD; Romančík was the only rider within an hour of Hederics.
While already secured his spot at Dakar 2025, Hederics’ roadmap also includes running the 2024 Rallye du Maroc and Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge to gain more desert racing experience.
“This rally was a lot of firsts for me,” said Hederics. “First time riding the rally bike, first time racing an international rally, first time meeting the race team and first time racing such long days. Everything was new to me so I went in with no real expectations other than to learn and finished the rally to I can qualify for Dakar.
“To say that I finished 17th overall and 6th in class just blows my mind and I could not have ask for much more.”
Jon Florea and Dominique Cizeau Girault were the only RtD riders who were also competing for points in the World Rally-Raid Championship.
Other entrants included Guillaume Borne for the Rallye du Maroc-organised Africa Rallye Team, Fang Xiangliang from Kove Moto’s factory team, Dakar legend Fabrizio Meoni’s son Gioele Meoni, sand racing veteran Marshall Méplon, Borja Pérez Casimiro from the neighbouring Spaish town of Melilla, and brothers Carl and Craig Searles. Those like Sébastien Herbet were already accepted to compete at the 2024 Dakar Rally, but hoped to get the entry fee cleared from their list of expenses by winning the RtD. Besides Hederics, Romain Bouzigon, Maxime Pouponnot, and Jonathan Savel were among those eyeing the 2025 race in particular.
On the SSV side, Eduard Pons seemed to be the favourite after dominating the previous W2RC round in Argentina before a tie rod broke late. He ended up with a repeat of the Desafío Ruta 40 as he won three of the first four stages before his gearbox failed in the final stage.
Amidst Pons’ stage wins, Grarre maintained a consistent pace that kept him fourth overall in the T4 class for much of the rally as he battled with those like Sonora Rally Road to Dakar winner Sara Price. He dropped to sixth after Stage #4 before moving up to fifth following Pons’ retirement.
Other competitors to have secured the Road to Dakar during the 2023 season include Tobias Ebster (Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge), Francisco Alvarez (Sonora), Jayden Els (1000 Desert Race), and Juan Santiago Rostan and Juan José Semino (DR 40). RtD winners may use their registration at the 2024 or 2025 Dakar Rallies.
The Road to Dakar will return in 2024 at all four W2RC rounds, the 1000 Desert Race, and the Sonora Rally.
Road to Dakar results
Bike
| Finish | Number | Rider | Team | Time | Margin |
| 1 | 71 | Toby Hederics | BAS World KTM Racing Team | 19:11:16 | Leader |
| 2 | 106 | Jaromír Romančík | Orion – Moto Racing Group | 19:18:51 | + 7:35 |
| 3 | 110 | Salvador Guiomar Vargas | Xraids Experience | 20:20:27 | + 1:09:11 |
| 4 | 70 | Jérôme Bas | Team Giroud Universal Ride | 20:23:47 | + 1:12:31 |
| 5 | 54 | Josep Pedró Subirats | Xraids Experience | 20:48:19 | + 1:37:03 |
| 6 | 94 | Alexandre Vaudan | Team Casteu | 21:01:13 | + 1:49:57 |
| 7 | 49 | Fang Xiangliang | Kove Moto | 21:22:16 | + 2:11:00 |
| 8 | 107 | Dušan Drdaj | Orion – Moto Racing Group | 21:53:56 | + 2:42:40 |
| 9 | 83 | Marshall Méplon | Marshall Méplon | 22:04:45 | + 2:53:29 |
| 10 | 128 | Clément Artaud | Team Dumontier Racing | 22:16:51 | + 3:05:35 |
| 11 | 108 | Julien Dalbec | Nomade Racing | 22:37:12 | + 3:25:56 |
| 12 | 136 | Guillaume Borne | Africa Rallye Team | 22:41:41 | + 3:30:25 |
| 13 | 105 | Martin Prokeš | Orion – Moto Racing Group | 22:43:40 | + 3:32:24 |
| 14 | 133 | Yael Kadshai | Nomade Racing | 22:54:52 | + 3:43:36 |
| 15 | 67 | Bruno Leblanc | Bruno Leblanc | 23:01:53 | + 3:50:37 |
| 16 | 87 | Damien Bataller | Team DB Racing | 23:39:22 | + 4:28:06 |
| 17 | 100 | Stéphane Brunaud | Nomade Racing | 23:44:07 | + 4:32:51 |
| 18 | 90 | Adrien Costes | Nomade Racing | 23:56:24 | + 4:45:08 |
| 19 | 123 | Fabian Von Thuengen | HT Rally Raid Husqvarna Racing | 24:04:58 | + 4:53:42 |
| 20 | 125 | Ganzorig Chuluun | HT Rally Raid Husqvarna Racing | 24:37:36 | + 5:26:20 |
| 21 | 115 | Adrien Roland | RM Nature et Énergie | 24:38:37 | + 5:27:21 |
| 22 | 112 | Sébastien Herbet | Team Dumontier Racing | 24:52:23 | + 5:41:07 |
| 23 | 80 | Mykolas Paulavicius | Mykolas Paulavicius Dakar Team | 25:07:59 | + 5:56:43 |
| 24 | 85 | Jean-Philippe Révolte | Révolte Racing | 25:21:43 | + 6:10:27 |
| 25 | 82 | Christopher Jautard | Nomade Racing | 25:46:08 | + 6:34:52 |
| 26 | 57 | Gad Nachmani | Club Aventura Touareg | 25:57:16 | + 6:46:00 |
| 27 | 104 | Benjamin Bourdariat | RS Concept Team | 26:03:49 | + 6:52:33 |
| 28 | 97 | Maxime Pouponnet | Team Maxime Pouponnet | 26:06:47 | + 6:55:31 |
| 29 | 84 | Carl Searles | Searles2Dakar | 27:05:49 | + 7:54:33 |
| 30 | 81 | Jonathan Savel | Jonathan Savel | 28:04:58 | + 8:53:42 |
| 31 | 102 | Borja Pérez Casimiro | Borja Pérez Casimiro | 28:12:35 | + 9:01:19 |
| 32 | 120 | Ramon Vidal Bregante | Ramon Vidal Bregante | 28:18:36 | + 9:07:20 |
| 33 | 99 | Craig Searles | Searles2Dakar | 28:48:47 | + 9:37:31 |
| 34 | 56 | Rémy Brochart | RM Nature et Énergie | 28:53:11 | + 9:41:55 |
| 35 | 40 | Jon Florea | Gerula Racing | 29:11:48 | + 10:00:32 |
| 36 | 95 | Rémy Moreau | Nomade Racing | 30:07:59 | + 10:56:43 |
| 37 | 58 | Dennis Mildenberger | Nomadas Adventure | 31:53:51 | + 12:42:35 |
| 38 | 103 | Loïc Peyrichout | Team LPC | 40:54:28 | + 21:43:12 |
| 39 | 89 | Paul Costes | Nomade Racing | 41:14:12 | + 22:02:56 |
| 40 | 96 | Frédéric Baudry | Nomade Racing | 56:55:10 | + 37:43:54 |
| 41 | 116 | Slawomir Sypien | DUUST Diverse Racing | 71:15:10 | + 52:03:54 |
| 42 | 62 | Frédéric Grignion | RM Nature et Énergie | 80:02:34 | + 60:51:18 |
| 43 | 69 | Jorge Escobedo Gil | Pedrega Team | 81:55:58 | + 62:44:42 |
| 44 | 121 | John Spelier | HT Rally Raid Husqvarna Racing | 83:18:38 | + 64:07:22 |
| DNF | 36 | Dominique Cizeau Girault | Xraids Experience | DNF | N/A |
| DNF | 59 | Darren Goodman | Nomadas Adventure | DNF | N/A |
| DNF | 64 | Modestas Siliunas | AG Dakar School | DNF | N/A |
| DNF | 92 | Gediminas Satkus | AG Dakar School | DNF | N/A |
| DNF | 101 | Guillaume Rosier | Guillaume Rosier | DNF | N/A |
| DNF | 117 | Jakub Krezymon | DUUST Diverse Racing | DNF | N/A |
| DNF | 119 | Steff Rowe | Steff Rowe | DNF | N/A |
| DNF | 126 | Gioele Meoni | Dakar4Dakar | DNF | N/A |
| DNF | 127 | Ferran Zaragoza Rosa | Pedrega Team | DNF | N/A |
| DNF | 139 | Romain Bouzigon | Team Esprit KTM | DNF | N/A |
T4
| Finish | Number | Driver | Co-Driver | Team | Time | Margin |
| 1 | 420 | William Grarre | Julien Vincent | Team Horizon Off-Road | 21:50:39 | Leader |
| 2 | 416 | Jeremie Renou | Nicolas Larroquet | YDEO Competition | 23:03:19 | + 1:20:40 |
| 3 | 411 | Grzegorz Brochocki | Grzegorz Komar | Overlimit | 42:50:48 | + 21:00:09 |
| 4 | 407 | Adrien Choblet | Laurent Magat | Team Casteu | 43:53:29 | + 22:02:50 |
| DNF | 405 | Eduard Pons | Marc Erra Jove | South Racing Can-Am | DNF | N/A |
| DNF | 417 | Hervé Guillaume | Maxime Guillaume | BTR-Driverspark | DNF | N/A |
Road to Dakar stage winners
| Stage | Bike | Time | SSV | Time |
| Prologue | Jaromír Romančík | 1:01:10.6 (12:14.6) | Eduard Pons | 12:40.8 |
| Stage #1 | Salvador Guiomar Vargas | 3:39:57 | William Grarre | 4:37:42 |
| Stage #2 | Jaromír Romančík | 3:33:02 | Eduard Pons | 3:49:36 |
| Stage #3 | Toby Hederics | 3:40:42 | Eduard Pons | 3:56:55 |
| Stage #4 | Toby Hederics | 4:25:55 | Jeremie Renou | 4:52:13 |
| Stage #5 | Toby Hederics | 19:11:16 | Grzegorz Brochocki | 2:50:43 |
Overall winners
| Class | Number | Competitor | Team | Time |
| T1 | 201 | Yazeed Al-Rajhi | Toyota Gazoo Racing | 14:49:09 |
| T2 | 251 | Ronald Basso* | Team Land Cruiser Toyota Auto Body | 22:14:17 |
| T3 | 315 | Marek Goczał | EnergyLandia Rally Team | 16:22:12 |
| T4 | 403 | João Ferreira | South Racing Can-Am | 18:26:24 |
| T5 | 506 | Michiel Becx* | Team de Rooy | 21:32:34 |
| RallyGP | 8 | Toby Price | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing | 15:56:43 |
| Rally2 | 32 | Bradley Cox | BAS World KTM Racing Team | 17:06:37 |
| Rally3 | 164 | Cheikh Yves Jacquemain | Africa Rallye Team | 23:42:39 |
| Quad | 186 | Alexandre Giroud* | Drag’on Rally Team | 21:07:24 |
| Open Auto | 601 | Jérôme Cambier* | MD Rallye Sport | 21:21:46 |
| Open SSV | 653 | Tomas Mickus* | BRO Racing | 21:42:23 |
| Road to Dakar Bike | 71 | Toby Hederics* | BAS World KTM Racing Team | 19:11:16 |
| Road to Dakar SSV | 420 | William Grarre* | Team Horizon Off-Road | 21:50:39 |