2024 Rallye du Maroc: Bradley Cox dominates en route to Rally2 title

The 2024 World Rally-Raid Championship’s Rally2 battle was effectively a two-man fight as Romain Dumontier fought to protect his crown whereas Bradley Cox hoped to usurp the throne.

Dumontier entered the Rallye du Maroc clinging to an eight-point lead over Cox after narrowly beating him at the Desafío Ruta 40. After coming up short in Argentina, Cox seemed to have a fire light up inside him at Morocco.

The South African already had plenty of momentum as the Rallye du Maroc’s defending Rally2 winner, and it carried over into the 2024 edition as he was the fastest points-eligible rider in each of the first four legs. Three straight outright stage wins from Monday through Wednesday allowed him to surge to a nearly fifteen-minute advantage on non-points rider Edgar Canet after Stage #3, and over forty-four minutes on Dumontier.

Although Dumontier had finished second in 2023 to secure the championship, he struggled to recapture the magic. A disastrous Stage #4 in which he made multiple navigation mistakes ultimately doomed his chances, leaving him over an hour back of Cox going into the final day.

Dumontier managed to save some face by finishing Stage #5 in third and tops among W2RC riders, though it hardly made a dent in the overall as Cox finished just thirty-one seconds behind him. As such, Dumontier settled for seventh and off the podium among points-earning riders in his worst career W2RC finish.

“Three years ago, a lot of people helped me to get into this sport and I’m so privileged to have everyone still with me today,” wrote Cox. He also called it “amazing” to win the title in the same season that his close friend and Botswanan Ross Branch secured the RallyGP championship.

Canet, a 19-year-old who showcased plenty of speed at the BP Ultimate Rally-Raid, finished second and just four minutes back. Michael Docherty completed the BAS World KTM Racing Team podium sweep in his racing return after missing the last two rounds with a fractured pelvis.

Docherty held off Dakar Rally winner Harith Noah, who won Stage #4, for third. The penultimate stage marked some surprise developments as Tobias Ebster, the Dakar’s Original by Motul victor, was the top W2RC rider.

Although Canet’s third won him the race’s Junior Trophy for those under the age of 25, sixth-placed Konrad Dąbrowski secured the Junior championship since he was competing for points unlike Canet. This also applied to the Veteran Trophy, where David Casteu finished tenth to win Morocco’s trophy but Sebastián Urquía claimed the W2RC-wide honour.

Mathieu Dovèze and Jean-Loup Lepan were the only points-eligible competitors to retire from the race due to crashes. Dovèze hurt his shoulder in a Stage #1 crash while Lepan, who was fourth in points entering Morocco, fell the following day and suffered a rash of injuries that included haemopneumothorax and fractures to his left shoulder blade, pelvis, four thoracic vertebrae, ten of his ribs, and lumbar vertebra. Lepan underwent surgery in a Moroccan intensive care unit for a bleeding lung before returning to France, where back surgery was successful and allowed him to start walking again with a brace on Thursday.

Carter Klein, the younger brother of 2022 Rally2 champion Mason Klein and the current SCORE International Pro Moto Unlimited points leader, finished an impressive eighth overall in his W2RC début. He was also the highest placing Husqvarna rider.

Trial star Sandra Gómez won the Women Trophy in her first race as a Fantic rally factory rider with a twenty-seventh, placing ahead of fellow Fantic competitor Carla Scaglioni and Steff Rowe.

Rally2 rider Frédéric Baudry passed away from injuries sustained in a Stage #1 fall. His Nomade Racing team honoured him at the finish with a group photo alongside race director David Castéra and his #69 bib.

“The entire Nomade Racing Team could not finish this Rallye du Maroc without paying tribute to Fred Baudry,” begins a team statement. “It was with great emotion that we brought his bib number under the finish arch.

“Our thoughts are with Karine, Allan, and Coralie.”

Rally2 overall results

Finish	Number	Rider	Team	Time	Margin
1	18	Bradley Cox	BAS World KTM Racing Team	16:30:11	Leader
2	37	Edgar Canet*	BAS World KTM Racing Team	16:34:13	+ 04:02
3	22	Michael Docherty	BAS World KTM Racing Team	16:43:14	+ 13:03
4	54	Harith Noah*	Sherco TVS Rally Factory Team	16:47:35	+ 17:24
5	96	Tobias Ebster	BAS World KTM Racing Team	16:56:10	+ 25:59
6	26	Konrad Dąbrowski	DUUST Rally Team	17:22:20	+ 52:09
7	16	Romain Dumontier	Team Dumontier Racing	17:36:08	+ 1:05:57
8	104	Carter Klein*	HT Rally Raid Husqvarna Racing	18:14:10	+ 1:43:59
9	39	Benjamin Melot*	Team Esprit KTM	18:27:55	+ 1:57:44
10	32	David Casteu*	Team Casteu Trophy	18:28:36	+ 1:58:25
11	38	Jeremy Miroir*	Fantic Rally Team	18:31:43	+ 2:01:32
12	55	Mike Wiedemann*	Wiedemann Motorsports	18:34:16	+ 2:04:05
13	64	Jeremías Pascual*	Pedregà Team	18:40:03	+ 2:09:52
14	40	Josep Pedró Subirats*	Pedregà Team	19:05:45	+ 2:35:34
15	63	Arnau Lledó*	Pedregà Team	19:14:19	+ 2:44:08
16	33	Jan Brabec	Stojrent Racing	19:33:12	+ 3:03:01
17	70	Nerimantas Jucius*	HT Rally Raid Husqvarna Racing	19:38:03	+ 3:07:52
18	56	Julien Dalbec*	Team SMX Concept	19:39:59	+ 3:09:48
19	43	Juan Santiago Rostan*	Xraids Experience	19:42:20	+ 3:12:09
20	86	Rolando Martinez*	Xraids Experience	19:51:38	+ 3:21:27
21	48	Juan Puga*	Joyride Race Service	19:55:43	+ 3:25:32
22	41	Tomás de Gavardo*	Fantic Rally Team	20:11:19	+ 3:41:08
23	51	Jérémie Gerber*	Nomade Racing	20:19:50	+ 3:49:39
24	45	Sunier*	Kove Moto	20:45:20	+ 4:15:09
25	141	Florian Bancilhon*	Team Casteu Trophy	21:09:40	+ 4:39:29
26	122	Adam Peschel*	Fesh Fesh	21:11:25	+ 4:41:14
27	62	Sandra Gómez*	Fantic Rally Team	21:17:26	+ 4:47:15
28	57	Adrien Costes*	Nomade Racing	21:39:34	+ 5:09:23
29	52	Mathieu Troquier*	Moto Club du Vieil Armand Cernay	21:42:57	+ 5:12:46
30	150	Maximilian Schek*	Wiedemann Motorsports	21:47:22	+ 5:17:11
31	59	Filip Grot*	BAS World KTM Racing Team	21:47:27	+ 5:17:16
32	44	Filippo Pietri*	Solarys Racing	21:58:27	+ 5:28:16
33	106	Nicolas Horeaux*	Nomade Racing	22:01:30	+ 5:31:19
34	149	Matthieu Cauvin*	Nomade Racing	22:10:56	+ 5:40:45
35	130	Francisco Alvarez Niño*	Joyride Race Service	22:16:42	+ 5:46:31
36	97	Loïs d’Abbadie*	Nomade Racing	22:32:28	+ 6:02:17
37	119	Joan Carles Guillén Turon*	Pedregà Team	22:34:15	+ 6:04:04
38	117	Edvard Sokolovskij*	AG Dakar School	22:35:56	+ 6:05:45
39	49	Marshall Méplon*	MMX Competition	22:37:53	+ 6:07:42
40	58	Fabian Von Thüngen*	HT Rally Raid Husqvarna Racing	22:39:18	+ 6:09:07
41	85	Lucas Poch Sagnier*	Pedregà Team	22:40:55	+ 6:10:44
42	154	Yann Di Mauro*	RS Moto	23:01:14	+ 6:31:03
43	112	Saulius Klevinskas*	AG Dakar School	23:10:32	+ 6:40:21
44	61	Borja Pérez Casimiro*	Melilla Ciudad Del Deporte La Salle	23:26:55	+ 6:56:44
45	20	Jiří Brož*	BAS World KTM Racing Team	23:40:44	+ 7:10:33
46	60	Matthieu Jauffraud*	Jauffraud Racing Team	23:42:29	+ 7:12:18
47	77	Lorenzo Maestrami*	RS Moto	23:46:59	+ 7:16:48
48	83	Shinya Fujiwara*	Fantic Rally Team	23:52:45	+ 7:22:34
49	116	Adriá Pascuet*	Joyride Race Service	23:57:57	+ 7:27:46
50	155	Markus Hertlein*	Wiedemann Motorsports	23:58:23	+ 7:28:12
51	143	Charles Pick*	Nomade Racing	24:29:02	+ 7:58:51
52	114	Robert Przybyłowski*	HT Rally Raid Husqvarna Racing	24:40:37	+ 8:10:26
53	118	Benjamin Lepelley*	MD Rallye Sport	24:42:28	+ 8:12:17
54	144	Ashish Raorane*	Xraids Experience	24:45:50	+ 8:15:39
55	152	Carlos López Belloso*	Pedregà Team	24:58:32	+ 8:28:21
56	103	Bruno Bony*	Team Casteu Trophy	25:19:23	+ 8:49:12
57	139	Romain Bouzigon*	Team Esprit KTM	25:24:20	+ 8:54:09
58	79	Sergi Fernández García*	Pedregà Team	25:31:43	+ 9:01:32
59	123	Óscar Hernández Paños*	Fantic Rally Team	25:34:54	+ 9:04:43
60	138	Juan Jose Martinez Garcia*	Fantic Rally Team	25:53:24	+ 9:23:13
61	133	Antoine Detourbet*	Antoine Detourbet	25:53:46	+ 9:23:35
62	120	François Lemariey*	MD Rallye Sport	26:21:58	+ 9:51:47
63	132	Pierrick Babin*	Team RS Concept	27:22:59	+ 10:52:48
64	95	Guillaume Jaunin*	Nomade Racing	27:24:10	+ 10:53:59
65	91	Jacek Bartoszek*	Leonardo Team	27:41:49	+ 11:11:38
66	147	Florian Le Mercier*	Nomade Racing	27:47:33	+ 11:17:22
67	81	Dominique Cizeau Girault*	Xraids Experience	28:08:37	+ 11:38:26
68	109	Nuno Silva*	Old Friends Rally Team	28:42:16	+ 12:12:05
69	105	Gediminas Satkus*	AG Dakar School	28:59:49	+ 12:29:38
70	128	Carla Scaglioni*	Fantic Rally Team	29:19:51	+ 12:49:40
71	121	Henry Cubides*	Joyride Race Service	32:04:20	+ 15:34:09
72	94	Juan Carlos Torres Maxia*	Motoclub Albacete	33:44:34	+ 17:14:23
73	142	Shingo Sugimura*	Fantic Rally Team	33:50:08	+ 17:19:57
74	87	Steff Rowe*	LG Rally	33:52:58	+ 17:22:47
75	67	Stéphane Bouvier*	Drag’on Rally Race Service	34:09:54	+ 17:39:43
76	65	Modestas Siliunas*	AG Dakar School	37:15:42	+ 20:45:31
77	136	Yuji Kahara*	Fantic Rally Team	41:48:45	+ 25:18:34
78	140	Joan Viñals Jul*	Joyride Race Service	44:36:52	+ 28:06:41
79	73	Ludwig Messager*	LB Racing Team Baujue	45:23:22	+ 28:53:11
80	98	Andrea Winkler*	Motoclub Yashica	49:41:42	+ 33:11:31
81	72	Paul Costes*	Nomade Racing	49:52:44	+ 33:22:33
82	148	Thibault Boucherot*	Nomade Racing	50:36:05	+ 34:05:54
83	35	Sebastián Urquía	Xraids Experience	69:13:24	+ 52:43:13
84	66	Neels Theric*	Kove Moto	70:17:28	+ 53:47:17
85	127	Benjamin Pousset*	Association Live in a rear wheel	71:55:22	+ 55:25:11
86	131	Benjamin Perinet*	Association Live in a rear wheel	74:23:02	+ 57:52:51
87	125	Javier Ibañez Muñoz*	Pedregà Team	75:53:27	+ 59:23:16
88	111	Ginés Belzunces Viúdez*	Club Aventura Touareg	81:00:21	+ 64:30:10
89	137	Gustavo Milutín*	HT Rally Raid Husqvarna Racing	81:53:17	+ 65:23:06
90	100	Mickaël Morin*	Mickaël Morin	84:39:56	+ 68:09:45
91	146	Luca Passone*	RS Moto	88:47:05	+ 72:16:54
92	82	Guillaume Rosier*	Team RS Concept	111:38:08	+ 95:07:57
DNF	28	Mathieu Dovèze	BAS World KTM Racing Team	DNF	N/A
DNF	36	Tommaso Montanari*	Fantic Rally Team	DNF	N/A
DNF	69	Frédéric Baudry*	Nomade Racing	DNF	N/A
DNF	75	Jorge Escobedo Gil*	Pedregà Team	DNF	N/A
DNF	76	Jean-Loup Lepan	DUUST Rally Team	DNF	N/A
DNF	78	Francisco Arredondo*	BAS World KTM Racing Team	DNF	N/A
DNF	80	Leonardo Cola*	Joyride Race Service	DNF	N/A
DNF	84	José Ramón Colomar Pallarés*	Joyride Race Service	DNF	N/A
DNF	90	Ferran Zaragoza*	Pedregà Team	DNF	N/A
DNF	92	Antoine Rigaudeau*	Team Oxmoto	DNF	N/A
DNF	99	Jorge Brandão*	Old Friends Rally Team	DNF	N/A
DNF	107	Jose Vicente Fernandez*	Club Aventura Touareg	DNF	N/A
DNF	110	Landry Maillet*	Team Oxmoto	DNF	N/A
DNF	126	Pablo Diez Negrete*	Joyride Race Service	DNF	N/A
DNF	135	Alessandro Rigoni*	Solarys Racing	DNF	N/A
DNF	145	Johann Jakob*	Jak Racing	DNF	N/A
DNF	151	Maxime Bouju*	Team RS Concept	DNF	N/A
DNF	153	Pierre Monjou*	Drag’on Rally Race Service	DNF	N/A
DNF	156	Pierre Lerosier*	Team RS Concept	DNF	N/A

Bold – Junior Trophy
Italics – Veteran Trophy
Underscore – Woman Trophy

Rally2 stage winners

Stage	Rider	Time
Prologue	Edgar Canet*	17:38.3
Stage #1	Bradley Cox	2:24:23
Stage #2	Bradley Cox	3:29:14
Stage #3	Bradley Cox	3:43:52
Stage #4	Harith Noah*	3:43:17
Stage #5	Edgar Canet*	2:34:53

W2RC Rally2 standings

For readability, competitors registered for the championship but did not earn points are excluded.

Riders’ standings

Rank	Rider	Points	Margin
1	Bradley Cox	100	Leader
2	Romain Dumontier	94	– 6
3	Konrad Dąbrowski	73	– 27
4	Jean-Loup Lepan	57	– 43
5	Jan Brabec	45	– 55
6	Mathieu Dovèze	33	– 67
7	Tobias Ebster	30	– 70
T-8	Michael Docherty	20	– 80
T-8	Toni Mulec	20	– 80
10	Jiří Brož	16	– 84
11	Diego Llanos	15	– 85
T-12	Sebastián Urquía	12	– 88
T-12	Charan Moore	12	– 88
14	Sébastien Herbet	11	– 89
15	Charlie Herbst	8	– 92
16	David McBride	6	– 94
17	Oran O’Kelly	5	– 95
18	Rachid Al-Lal Lahadil	2	– 98

Junior Trophy

Rank	Rider	Points	Margin
1	Konrad Dąbrowski	138	Leader

Veteran Trophy

Rank	Rider	Points	Margin
1	Sebastián Urquía	55	Leader
2	Sébastien Herbet	49	– 6
3	David McBride	38	– 17
4	Rachid Al-Lal Lahadil	20	– 35