As it stands, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing has already amassed an unassailable lead in this year’s title chase, and has been crowned as the championship manufacturer for the year. The same is true for Mathieu Baumel, who wrapped up his second consecutive W2RC title following the crew’s victory at the Desafio Ruta 40 in Argentina last month.
The only title that is still outstanding for the team, is the drivers’ championship, where Nasser currently holds a lead of 51 points over Yazeed Al Rahji in second place. Third place currently belongs to Juan Cruz Yacopini, with both Al Rahji and Yacopini driving privately entered versions of the Toyota Hilux T1+.
The Rally of Morocco traditionally serves not only as the final round of the W2RC, but also as an opportunity for the major role players to test their Dakar cars in real-world conditions, against other crews. As such, the rally is an important part of the season, and TGR will be aiming to not only win the driver’s title, but also keeping a close watch on the competing teams.
This year’s Rally of Morocco takes place from 13 to 18 October, and covers a total of five competitive stages. The route starts in the coastal city of Agadir, before traveling inland to Zagora and Merzouga, where the race will conclude. The race distance will total 2,219 km, of which 1,449 km will be special stage racing.
