A commanding ride from the front saw Monster Energy Honda HRC’s Tosha Schareina grab another stage victory and take control of the overall standings after a dramatic stage four at the Rallye du Maroc.

Set against the rugged peaks of Djebel Zireg, deep in the Moroccan desert, the penultimate day covered 379 km in total, with 284 km of timed special on a demanding loop southwest of Erfoud. Fast tracks, scattered dunes, and sandy valleys tested the riders’ endurance and precision throughout the day.

For Schareina, the stage presented yet another formidable challenge. After back-to-back stage victories, he was once again the first rider to open the route, a position that offers both opportunity and peril. Despite some issues with his tablet, he was determined not to let this define his day, Schareina regrouped, pushed hard, and reclaimed valuable bonus time and his relentless pace paid off. By just 56 km from the finish, he had reversed the deficit and surged into the overall lead. He won his third stage of this year’s rally and now with only one stage remaining, Schareina holds a 3’33” advantage over Sanders, setting up a thrilling finale.

Ricky Brabec, currently sitting third overall, stayed within striking distance of his teammate. Overcast skies and low light made visibility difficult, but Brabec adapted quickly, catching up to Sanders and clocking the second-fastest time for much of the stage. He eventually finished third, 2’02” behind stage winner Schareina and continues to occupy the final podium position overall. The American will need both speed and fortune in tomorrow’s final stage if he hopes to snatch second place in the World Rally-Raid Championship from Schareina, with 8’47” now separating the two.

Meanwhile, Adrien Van Beveren continued to push through the Sahara sands to fifth position, using the remaining stages to fine-tune his Honda CRF450 RALLY setup ahead of Dakar. Though the going was tough, he remains focused on finishing strong before a well-earned rest.

The final stage of the Rallye du Maroc will feature just 216 km of timed special, marking the curtain call on the 2025 World Rally-Raid Championship season and the last test for the Monster Energy Honda HRC riders in their fight for glory.

Ricky Brabec: It was good and it was a fairly quick stage. Today was overcast so the light was really flat today and it was really difficult to see. There was a lot of wind out there kicking up the dirt, so obviously that made visibility really difficult as well. But yeah, it was a tough day. It was supposed to be super fast and fairly easy, but there was a couple of things out there that could really trick you and that happened to all three of us. So at times we were riding in groups and then at times it was just too dusty on these fast pistes to really stay close together and I did the best I could to make it to the finish and here we are. There’s one day to go and the overall is looking good. I think we’re in third right now so we’ll see what happens tomorrow. I’m kind of in the sandwich between Tosha and Daniel, so let’s push tomorrow and see what we can do.

Adrien Van Beveren: It’s been a tough day for me, I made some changes on the bike to take this opportunity to do some testing. Overall, I tried my best and I’m really trying to hold on with one day to go. Today was rough, as Morocco is, but we know why we’re here, so we will keep pushing tomorrow.

Tosha Schareina: I learnt that you don’t have to believe the briefings because when they say that it’s completely straight and the navigation is easier, it is the opposite. It was so tricky the navigation, so difficult. We had a problem with the tablet from the 40 km mark to the refuelling stop, but we could get it replaced and then luckily get the time back. I’m happy for the win, we are in the lead overall, but I’m sad for Nacho (Cornejo) as he was the man of the stage, he did a really good job and congratulations
to him. We will have to I need to focus on that and win.open the stage again tomorrow and with 216 km left