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Dacia will enter the Dakar Rally and World Rally-Raid Championship in 2025 with their new rally car, the Sandrider, developed with Renault Group and Prodrive.
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The Sandrider, inspired by the 2022 Manifesto concept, focuses on performance and agility, designed for the Ultimate T1+ category, and has undergone extensive testing in the UK, France, and Morocco.
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The team will make their debut at the 2024 Rallye du Maroc, a key warm-up for Dakar, with experienced drivers Nasser Al-Attiyah, Cristina Gutiérrez, and Sébastien Loeb leading the charge.
Dacia, the brand known for its adventurous spirit, is gearing up for something big! From 2025, they’re taking on the Dakar Rally and the World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC), bringing their no-nonsense approach to some of the toughest terrains on the planet.
Leading the charge is their brand-new rally contender: the Sandrider.
Inspired by the 2022 Manifesto concept car, the Sandrider is a purpose-built rally machine designed with one goal in mind—winning. Developed in collaboration with motorsport experts at Renault Group and the UK-based Prodrive, this prototype is ready to tackle the extreme challenges of rally raids.
True to Dacia’s philosophy of focusing on what really matters, the Sandrider zeroes in on performance and agility. It’s built to excel in the Ultimate T1+ category, keeping the vehicle light, nimble, and designed to meet the needs of both drivers and co-drivers, who were involved in its creation right from the start. Using virtual reality, the drivers helped shape the vehicle through hands-on design sessions, ensuring every detail is finely tuned for the race.
Though the Sandrider is a bold, innovative step forward, it’s still very much a Dacia at heart, embodying the brand’s commitment to essential, rugged performance.
Nasser Al-Attiyah / Édouard Boulanger, Cristina Gutiérrez / Pablo Moreno, and Sébastien Loeb / Fabian Lurquin take on the Rallye du Maroc (6–11 October 2024). This event, which also serves as the final round of the 2024 FIA World Rally-Raid Championship, is the perfect warm-up for the Dakar in January.
After spending the summer testing the Ultimate category Sandrider in the UK, France, and Morocco, the Dacia Sandriders are ready to put all that hard work to the test in what’s often called a "mini Dakar"—the ultimate challenge for both driver and machine.
Although it’s the team’s first time competing in the Rallye du Maroc, the drivers and crew have plenty of experience with the African rally-raid event. Nasser Al-Attiyah, a five-time Dakar champion, won the Rallye du Maroc as recently as 2021, giving the team a solid foundation to build on.
Team principal Tiphanie Isnard said: “In just a few months, we’ll be heading to Saudi Arabia for Dakar, which will be a huge human challenge. But you’ve got to walk before you can run, which is why we’re entering the final round of the World Rally-Raid Championship to fine-tune everything we’ve learned in testing. With five test sessions under our belt, this is our first race, and we’re ready for this real-life rehearsal before we take on Dakar. It’s taken a lot of hard work to get here, and I’m incredibly proud of everyone on the team.”
Rallye du Maroc overview As one of the founding rounds of the FIA World Rally-Raid Championship back in 2022, the Rallye du Maroc returns in 2024 as the season decider. Starting with a prologue in Marrakech on 6 October and finishing in Mengoub Bouârfa on 11 October, the route covers 2,468 kilometres, with 1,512 of those against the clock. Expect plenty of sand dunes, rocky stretches, rough gravel, and scorching heat – a proper test for the Dacia Sandriders.
Nasser Al-Attiyah said: “Rallye du Maroc is super important, not just for the championship but also for the teams as everyone is here to prepare for Dakar. We’re leading the championship at the moment, so it’s about managing our speed and avoiding mistakes, especially as the Sandrider is a new car. We’ll take it day by day, and hopefully, we can win the world title – it would mean a lot to me and Edouard.”
Cristina Gutiérrez added: “It’s our first race with the Sandrider after loads of testing, and I’m really excited. I’m also moving up to a new category, so there’s a lot to take in – new car, new team, and new challenges. But I feel really comfortable with the team, and I’m confident we can build on the progress we’ve made in testing. There’s some pressure, but it’s the good kind that pushes you to do your best. I’m looking forward to a good result and having some fun out there.”
Sébastien Loeb chimed in: “After all the hard work in testing, it’s time to see where we stand against the competition. This race is like a full-scale dress rehearsal, so the main goal is to make sure everything’s working as it should. If it’s not, we’ll find the issues and fix them before Dakar. But if we can bag a good result, that’d be a nice bonus.”
Dakar isn’t the only focus While Dakar prep is the primary goal for the Dacia Sandriders at Rallye du Maroc, Nasser Al-Attiyah is also in the running for his sixth FIA World Rally-Raid Championship title. After four rounds with other teams, both Nasser and co-driver Edouard Boulanger lead their respective standings by 25 and 20 points.
Dacia Sandriders line-up for Rallye du Maroc:
- #200: Nasser Al-Attiyah (QAT) / Edouard Boulanger (FRA)
- #212: Cristina Gutiérrez (ESP) / Pablo Moreno (ESP)
- #219: Sébastien Loeb (FRA) / Fabian Lurquin (BEL)
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Rallye du Maroc in numbers:
- 1,512 of the event’s 2,468 kilometres are raced against the clock, spread over five stages.
It’s set to be an exciting week for The Dacia Sandriders!
