Red Bull KTM factory rider, Daniel Sanders has won the opening stage of the 2025 Rallye du Maroc. The Australian, who has already been crowned World rally champion of 2025 and also the Dakar rally winner, finished ahead of South African, Evan Branch on the Hero machine with HRC riders, Tosha Schareina, Ricky Brabec and Skyler Howes rounding out the top five.

Stage one of the 2025 Rallye du Maroc got underway with a demanding course that tested both endurance and determination as the riders faced a mammoth 780 km day, departing the team bivouac in Fez just after 4 a.m. for what proved to be a long and punishing start to the rally.

Before the timed section, they tackled a 276 km liaison before taking on the 298 km special stage leading toward the Algerian border and finishing in the oasis town of Erfoud, in Morocco’s Errachidia province. The early part of the route climbed into the mountains, featuring rocky terrain, deep ditches and challenging navigation that demanded full concentration from start to finish.

Determined to open his campaign with a strong result, Tosha Schareina pushed hard throughout the stage to secure third place in the Rally GP category. Although he lost just over four and a half minutes to stage winner Daniel Sanders, the result keeps him on the virtual overall podium in third, only ten seconds off second place. With Luciano Benavides forced to retire from the event, Schareina is now locked in a close battle with teammate Ricky Brabec for the World Rally-Raid Championship runner-up position.

As the prologue winner, Brabec opted to start 14th on the road, but just 31 km into the stage he lost 2’46” and spent the remainder of the day working to minimise the damage to his overall position.His relentless charge through the field saw him finish fourth, 5’43” behind stage winner, but despite the setback, the American remains upbeat and focused on tomorrow’s stage, where he’ll look to close the gap to the front runners.

Skyler Howes was pleased to return to his preferred desert terrain and put in a solid performance to finish fifth. Despite a small crash and a minor navigation error, he reached Erfoud 7’19” off the stage-winning time, happy to be back in familiar conditions.

Still nursing injuries from the previous round, Adrien Van Beveren delivered a brave and determined ride to complete the stage in sixth place, just 25 seconds behind Howes.Despite feeling physically below his best, the Frenchman showcased trademark resilience to bring his CRF450 RALLY home strongly.

Tomorrow’s stage two will see riders tackle a 300 km timed loop around Erfoud, following an 87 km liaison. With shorter but no less demanding terrain ahead, the Monster Energy Honda HRC squad will be pushing to stay firmly in the hunt amongst the Moroccan dunes.

Follow the rally live here: Morocco Rally - The race live