KTM’s CANET & SANDERS DOMINATE W2RC

Red Bull KTM’s Edgar Canet scores a maiden RallyGP win in the Rallye du Maroc, while Daniel Sanders extends his lead in the FIM World Rally-Raid Championship, leaving the Aussie poised to clinch his second world title at the series’ finale in late November.

Navigation decided this one, as it often does in rally-raid racing. Australia’s Daniel Sanders won two stages and the Prologue but lost time on a mistake, and 21-year-old Spaniard, Edgar Canet, kept his head to take the biggest win of his career. The Aussie still leads the title chase going into the final round; poised to become the first ever back-to-back W2RC title winner.

Here’s the PR from the Red Bull KTM team after a highly successful five days of racing in Morocco…

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Edgar Canet has won the Rallye du Maroc – Round 4 of the 2026 FIM World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC). In contention for overall victory from day one, the Spaniard rode a calculated race aboard his KTM 450 Rally to take a maiden RallyGP victory over teammate and series leader, Daniel Sanders. Luciano Benavides also performed well to finish fourth overall, elevating him to second place in the standings.

Following a summer break in the racing calendar, the team travelled to Morocco for the fourth round of the campaign. With Sanders leading the championship ahead of Rallye du Maroc, his focus was on maintaining his advantage at the top while Benavides and Canet aimed to climb the leaderboard from their respective third and seventh positions in the standings.

With mixed results during the season so far, Canet headed to Morocco in a determined mood. His week in Morocco started strongly, with the second-fastest time in the Prologue. The talented racer then demonstrated exceptional consistency across all five stages, never finishing a special outside the top four on his way to the overall victory. The win marks Canet’s first RallyGP victory and moves him up to fifth in the championship standings.

Edgar Canet: “I’m really happy. There are a lot of emotions right now and what we’ve achieved doesn’t quite feel real yet. I think I need some time to really take it all in, but I’m super happy. We showed everyone what we can do and where we can be, so I’m really proud of that. It was a crazy race with lots of ups and downs, and navigation was really important. At certain points, I had the feeling that I was in the right place and doing what I needed to do. To win this rally is an amazing feeling and I’m really happy with what we’ve achieved. Hopefully, this isn’t the last one.”

Having won the previous two rounds of the series in Portugal and Argentina, Sanders had built up a three-point lead in the championship. Eager to make it a trio of wins and further extend his advantage, Sanders kicked off his week in Morocco with the Prologue victory. After placing second on stage one, the Aussie won stage two – the 35th stage win of his career – to take over the rally lead. On the third special, a minor navigational mistake cost him dearly, with Sanders finishing seventh on the stage and slipping to third overall. Another stage win on day four saw him resume the rally lead. However, a fifth-place finish on the final special dropped him to second in the final classification. With his runner-up finish, Sanders extends his championship lead to 13 points over his teammate, Luciano Benavides.

Daniel Sanders: “I’m obviously happy to get to the finish and still be in a strong position in the championship, but personally it’s been a frustrating rally. I knew it was going to be close today and I gave it everything I had, but unfortunately we came up just short. I made some mistakes during the week and there were a few situations that didn’t go our way, so it’s disappointing because I felt like we were riding really well. On the positive side, it’s been a great result for the team. Edgar has taken his first RallyGP win, Luciano finished fourth, and we’ve shown really strong pace throughout the rally. The team has done a great job all week and I’ve done my best every day, so I can hold my head high. Most importantly, we’re still leading the championship and in a good position going into the final round.”

Benavides also demonstrated impressive pace in Morocco and narrowly missed out on making it a Red Bull KTM podium lockout in the overall classification. The 2026 Dakar Rally winner placed fourth on the opening two stages before winning Stage 3 and moving up to second in the provisional overall classification. Unfortunately, a navigational error on the penultimate stage resulted in posting the seventh-fastest time and he slipped to third overall. Despite finishing as runner-up on Stage 5, it wasn’t quite enough to join his teammates on the podium and the Argentine placed fourth. More importantly, the points he secured moved him up to second in the series standings.

Luciano Benavides: “I’m happy to finish the Rallye du Maroc fourth overall and with second place on the final stage. It was a little bit different to the type of race we’re normally used to, but I’m happy to finish healthy and I’m super happy for the team. Edgar took his first win, Daniel finished second and continues to lead the championship, and I’m now second in the championship as well, so it’s a great result for everyone. We’ve also made some really good improvements with the bike and I’m feeling great. Now we’ll get ready for Abu Dhabi and the final race of the year. I’m feeling strong and really positive looking ahead to the next Dakar. A huge thank you to the whole team and everyone who supports us.”

Andreas Hölzl – Rally Team Manager: “I’m super happy for Edgar. He showed great consistency throughout the whole week, and I’m incredibly proud that at just 21 years old, he has shown what he is capable of. He has all the tools he needs and this week he really put everything together to take his first RallyGP victory. It also shows the strength of the whole team. We’ve now had three different winners this season, with Luciano winning the Dakar, Daniel taking victories in Portugal and Argentina, and now Edgar here in Morocco. We have a really strong rider line-up, a great bike, and the whole team is doing an incredible job. All the hard work is paying off. I’m also really happy with Daniel and Luciano. Daniel finished second and continues to lead the championship, while Luciano’s fourth place moves him up to second in the standings. It was a tough rally with challenging conditions, but we’re in a really good position and well prepared for the final round. Whatever comes our way, we’ll approach it with the same passion as always.”

PROVISIONAL RESULTS – 2026 RALLY DU MAROC

1. Edgar Canet (ESP), KTM, 15:41:55

2. Daniel Sanders (AUS), KTM, 15:42:57 +1:02

3. Ricky Brabec (USA), Honda, 15:45:27 +3:32

4. Luciano Benavides (ARG), KTM, 15:49:47 +7:52

5. Adrien Van Beveren (FRA), Honda, 16:05:03 +23:08

STANDINGS – 2026 FIM WORLD RALLY-RAID C’SHIP (after Rd 4)

1. Daniel Sanders (AUS), KTM, 87 points

2. Luciano Benavides (ARG), KTM, 74 pts

3. Tosha Schareina (ESP), Honda, 74 pts

4. Ricky Brabec (USA), Honda, 70 pts

5. Edgar Canet (ESP), KTM, 58 pts