FIM Rallies 2/3: FIM Europe Tout Terrain Rally Cup

FIM Europe Tout Terrain Rally Cup

The FIM Europe Tout Terrain Rally Cup is a European rally raid series for motorcycles, quads and SSVs. It is organised by FIM Europe and sits one level below the worldwide FIM rally raid championships. The events are genuine long-distance rallies: each round must cover at least 800 kilometres and last at least four days, with a maximum of five rounds planned per season.

The classes

For 2026, the regulations list the following categories:

• M1 125–390 cc
• M2 400–475 cc
• M3 480–600 cc, single-cylinder
• M4 650–750 cc, single-cylinder
• M5 650–1300 cc, twin-cylinder
• In addition, there are classifications for Women, Veteran 55, Quad and SSV.

M5 is particularly interesting at the moment because the large twin-cylinder rally bikes such as the Aprilia Tuareg and Triumph Tiger compete there. The lighter 450 cc rally machines typically fall into M2. As a result, very different concepts meet: light, agile single-cylinder bikes against heavier, more powerful twins.

Scoring and points

A round’s total time is made up of the special stage times and all penalties. The rider with the lowest total time wins.

The Cup points for the top 15 run from:
20-17-15-13-11-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1

Longer rallies receive a multiplier:
• four days: factor 1.0,
• five to six days: factor 1.25,
• seven to eight days: factor 1.5.

There are also bonus points for taking part in several rounds of the season. Riders who compete in three rounds receive five bonus points; for four rounds it is ten, and for five rounds 15 points. This rewards not only individual wins but also a complete season.

Penalties and continuing despite problems

The system also explains some of the very high times in the RO Rally results.
A rider who does not start a special stage can receive the time of the last regular rider plus six hours. A rider who starts a stage but does not finish it receives a calculated time including waypoint penalties. Missing checkpoints normally cost 15 minutes, missing time controls 30 minutes.

As a result, a rider can often continue the next day after a breakdown or navigation problem, but ends up far behind with an enormous penalty time. This would likely explain high stage times such as those of Tim Duerr at the RO Rally, although the regulations alone do not confirm the cause in his specific case. In the official RO Rally results, such conspicuously high times appear several times.

Safety

The regulations require, among other things:

• permanent satellite tracking,
• warning systems for overtaking and vehicles,
• a mobile phone and first-aid equipment,
• at least two litres of water,
• a rescue blanket and fire extinguishing agent,
• medical vehicles at the start and finish and roughly every 100 kilometres of a special stage.

The first two riders to arrive at an accident must stop and help. The time lost in doing so can be credited back to them.
One important point: the rallies partly run on roads that are open to public traffic. Only the prologue must be fully closed; special stages must be protected from traffic with the means available. At the same time, the regulations expressly oblige riders to expect civilian vehicles and to observe traffic rules.

The 2026 season

1. Galicia Rally, Spain: around 1,635 kilometres, of which roughly 1,355 kilometres are special stages. Jacopo Cerutti won ahead of Thomas Marini.
2. Hellas Rally Raid, Greece: almost 1,700 kilometres of special stages through mountains, forests and rocky terrain. Cerutti won again.
3. RO Rally Marathon, Romania: seven stages through forests, over fast gravel tracks, hills and difficult navigation sections. Thomas Marini won.
4. Sandalion Rally, Italy: season finale in Oliba, Sardinia, on 13–17 October

Standings 2026

1. Thomas Marini (San Marino / Aprilia) – 67
2. Jacopo Cerutti (Italy / Aprilia) – 50 points
3. Maikol Reboldi (Italy / Triumph) – 41 points
4. Alexandru Daniel Goran (Romania / Husqvarna) – 35 points
5. Daniele Livi (Italy / Husqvarna) – 29 points

Historically influential names

Some riders link the different phases of the series’ development:

• Joan Pedrero won the 2019 season opener.
  • 15 Dakar participations
  • Harley-Davidson factory rider
  • Top 10 overall and class winner at the Africa Ecorace with the Pan America 1250
• Leonardo Tonelli dominated the 2019 Hellas Rally.
  • multiple Italian motorally and Raid TT champion
  • Dakar finisher in 2022 on a Husqvarna
• Loïc Minaudier won in Greece in 2021.
  • five-time finisher of the Dakar Rally on a motorcycle
• Tobias Ebster dominated the 2023 Dinaric Rally.
  • Two-time Dakar finisher in Malle Moto
  • Hero factory rider
• Jacopo Cerutti brought stronger factory involvement to the series with Aprilia from 2025/26.
  • undisputed number 1 of Italian rally raid sport and factory rider for the Aprilia Tuareg Racing Team
  • 2024 winner of the Africa Eco Race with the Aprilia Tuareg 660 at the first attempt
  • 6 Dakars, finishing in the top 20 three times
  • Serious accident at the RO Rally
• Thomas Marini became Cerutti’s most important rival in 2026.
  • Cerutti’s teammate in the Aprilia factory team
  • Current leader after winning the RO Rally

Assessment

The Cup is particularly interesting because it brings together professional factory teams and ambitious privateers. At the 2026 Galicia Rally, 118 motorcycles started, 40 of them riders in the FIM Europe classification; at the Hellas Rally, more than 150 motorcycle and quad riders took part, 46 of them Cup participants.
It is therefore not a purely amateur series, but nor is it as closed-off and expensive as the Rally Raid World Championship. Riders can enter individual events with a suitable FIM Europe licence, but need a regular driving licence, a technically compliant motorcycle and the prescribed safety equipment.
From a German perspective, the strongest performance at the RO Rally came from Jan Hendrik Erbach: sixth overall and second in the national M2 classification. Claudius Flogaus finished 20th overall, Tim Duerr 45th.