+++ News Flash +++
- Sharish update: Santos out, Ténéré set for confirmed Trail win
- 130 motorcycles in Morocco: Rally2 shapes a Dakar-sized field
- Trophy in Mexico: BAJA RALLY offers a Kove Rally 450 to the best amateur
- Genghis Khan Rally 2027: registration is due to open on 22 September
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Sharish: Santos loses lead through retirement, Ténéré on course for Trail win
Category: Big-Bike Rally
Status: Confirmed – provisional results; final confirmation of the Trail win likely – 90–95%
Bruno Santos had led the Baja TT Sharish Gin on a Husqvarna after SS1, with a 35-second advantage over Tomás Dias, as AutoLook reported on 19 September. However, the official provisional result of 20 September lists Santos as retired and has Micael Simão on a KTM in the lead, 14.4 seconds ahead of Dias. António Maio, on his Yamaha Ténéré, is ninth overall and the best rider in the Trail class in that list. The likelihood of final confirmation of his class win is rated at 90–95%, because an official provisional result exists but the final classification is still outstanding.
Rallye du Maroc: 130 bikes – and almost 85 per cent of them in Rally2
Category: Road to Dakar
Status: Confirmed – published entries; assessment editorial
The Rallye du Maroc reports a total of 130 motorcycles for 2026: ten RallyGP, 110 Rally2 and ten Rally3, plus three quads, which are to be counted separately. According to the organiser’s statement of 18 September, the motorcycle field thus matches in numbers the size planned for the Dakar 2027. By calculation, around 85% of the motorcycles are in Rally2, which underlines the importance of the field beyond the RallyGP front, even though Rally2 does not automatically mean amateur status. In addition, there are 13 riders in the new Malle Moto classification, while the organiser announces ZX Moto, among others, with Skyler Howes in RallyGP and Tobias Ebster in Rally2. Our assessment: Morocco thus offers a particularly meaningful comparison between factory front-runners, Rally2 up-and-comers and privateers on the road to the Dakar, although an entry does not in itself guarantee a Dakar place.
BAJA RALLY: A Kove Rally 450 as prize for the best amateur
Category: Amateur/Paddock News
Status: Confirmed – announced prize in kind, no winner yet
BAJA RALLY announces a Kove Rally 450 as a prize in kind for the best-placed amateur; the organiser’s post explicitly describes the motorcycle as a trophy for the best amateur in the overall classification. According to the official schedule, the 2026 edition takes place from 27 September to 3 October, with six stages from 28 September. This is therefore a prize offered for the upcoming race, not a handover that has already taken place. For ambitious privateers, the scheme sets an additional sporting incentive; exactly which riders are eligible must be clarified from the entry conditions.
Genghis Khan Rally 2027: registration start announced for 22 September
Category: Amateur Rally Calendar
Status: Confirmed – website announcement; actual opening on exactly 22 September likely – 70–80%
The official Genghis Khan Rally website announces the event’s return in August 2027 with six stages and the opening of registration on 22 September 2026. As of this edition’s editorial cut-off, 20 September, that means “in two days” and not “today”. A findable post on the official Instagram profile gives a different date, 21 September, which is why the actual opening on exactly 22 September is rated at only 70–80% despite the website announcement. A consistent confirmation of the date, or the actual go-live, is still outstanding for this assessment.
Editorial cut-off: 20 September 2026. Percentage ranges are subjective editorial estimates based on the sources named, not statistically calculated probabilities; they relate only to the open statement explicitly identified in each case.