Gerard Farrés has won the Rally 1000 Dunas in Morocco. The Spaniard, who plans to return to the motorcycle class at the Dakar 2027 for the first time since 2018, came out on top in the overall standings, according to reports by Motosan (26 October 2026) and El Confidencial Digital (27 October 2026). The rally ran from 18 to 23 October 2026. It was the first of two preparation events planned by the Spanish manufacturer MACBOR before its Dakar debut as a team in its own right.
Both reports are worded almost identically. They give no times, no gaps and no names for the riders who finished behind him. No official results list from the organiser was available at the time of going to press. It therefore also remains unclear which classification the term “overall standings” refers to.
Six stages between Fez and Erg Chebbi
According to Motosan, the route led over six stages from Fez to the Erg Chebbi dune area near Merzouga in south-eastern Morocco. The programme also included marathon stages, in which riders receive no help from their service crew overnight. Heavy rain and flooded rivers forced the organisers to change parts of the planned route and shorten some stages. The reports do not say how long the special stages ultimately were.
Addax Rally already under way
The second preparation rally has already started. The Addax Rally runs from 25 to 30 October 2026 around Merzouga and, according to BikeIt, comprises a prologue and five competition days covering around 1,600 kilometres in total. Farrés finished the 25-kilometre prologue on Sunday, 25 October, in fourth place. Javi Vega was fastest on a Kove 450 Rally in 18 minutes and 48 seconds, ahead of the Aprilia riders Marco Menichini and Thomas Marini.
The first long stage on Monday, 26 October, with around 307 kilometres of special stage, was won by Kevin Gallas ahead of Gautier Paulin and Alessandro Botturi. All three ride Yamaha Ténéré machines. Farrés does not appear in the top five for that day published by BikeIt. The report does not give his exact position. Several stages remain before the finish on 30 October.
Back on a motorcycle after nine years
MACBOR announced its Dakar entry on 22 October 2026, as Motociclismo reported. The brand belongs to Grupo Motos Bordoy and had previously supported Farrés as a sponsor. At the Dakar 2027, which is due to take place from 1 to 15 January 2027, MACBOR intends to compete in the motorcycle category with its own team for the first time.
According to Motociclismo, it would be Farrés’s 20th participation in the Dakar Rally. On a motorcycle he reached the podium in 2017 as third. His last Dakar start on two wheels came in 2018. He then switched to the side-by-side (SSV) class, meaning light off-road vehicles with seats arranged next to each other. There he finished second in 2022. Which motorcycle Farrés will ride at the Dakar is not stated in the available reports.
Sources and image credits
- El Confidencial Digital: Gerard Farrés da la sorpresa en Marruecos con MACBOR: conquista el Rally 1000 Dunas antes del Dakar 2027 (27 October 2026)
- Motosan: MACBOR y Gerard Farrés han firmado una brillante victoria en su primera cita de preparación para el Dakar 2027 (26 October 2026)
- Motociclismo: Gerard Farrés vuelve a las motos del Dakar nueve años después: MACBOR debutará como equipo en 2027 (22 October 2026)
- BikeIt: ADDAX Rally 2026 – Τον Πρόλογο ο Javi Vega, την 1η Ημέρα ο Kevin Gallas (27 October 2026)
- Photo 1: Gerard Farrés (number 52) on a desert track at the Rally 1000 Dunas. Photographer not named. Original source: El Confidencial Digital, published on 27 October 2026.
- Photo 2: Gerard Farrés in the dunes of Morocco, from the photo series on the Rally 1000 Dunas. Photographer not named. Original source: El Confidencial Digital, published on 27 October 2026.