2024 Rallye du Maroc: Ndoki Racing Team set to be first Congolese W2RC team

When their Can-Am Maverick takes the start at the Rallye du Maroc, Ndoki Racing Team will be the first outfit from the Democratic Republic of the Congo to compete in a World Rally-Raid Championship event. In partnership with BTR Racing Team, the team will compete in the SSV category with Michaël Devos as driver and Xavier Hottelet as navigator.

“The NRT team is back to announce its participation in the Rallye du Maroc, which will take place from October 4 to 11,” reads a team statement. “This marks a first for a team of Congolese origin. We are grateful to everyone who has helped, directly or indirectly, make this dream a reality, and to BTR for preparing an amazing vehicle to introduce us to this discipline. Stay tuned, share, and we invite you to follow us in a few days on this adventure at the second largest rally raid in the world, at the origins of the legendary Dakar Rally.”

Located in the capital city of Kinshasa, the team primarily competes in the national cross-country rally championship organised by the Ecurie Panthère de Kinshasa RDC. Devos and Hottelet, Belgians living in the DRC, raced a Century CRT buggy with victories that included back-to-back 6 Heures de Bombo Lumene in 2018 and 2019. Both have also competed in Ecurie Panthère’s motorcycle races and Groupe Number One’s enduro series on Yamaha 250cc bikes.

BTR is a Belgian operation that has fielded SSVs in the W2RC and Dakar Rally. At the latest Dakar in January, they had two Can-Ams for Benoit Lepietre and William Grarre, the former finishing twenty-third in SSV while the latter retired; the team also supported the Century CR6 of Frédéric Chesneau, who bowed out as well. For the Rallye du Maroc, BTR has prepared the new Can-Am Maverick R for Christian Lavieille.

The Rallye du Maroc will take place on 6–11 October.