Three riders within six points: ahead of the Rallye du Maroc, the 2026 FIM Rally-Raid World Championship is wide open. Daniel Sanders leads from Tosha Schareina and Luciano Benavides. The gap between KTM and Honda is also small. Morocco thus becomes an important turning point for the final two rounds of the season.
Status: 23 September 2026, after Dakar, Rally-Raid Portugal and Desafío Ruta 40. The focus is on the RallyGP motorcycle class.
RallyGP: the current championship standings
| Position | Rider | Brand* | Points | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Daniel Sanders | KTM | 67 | – |
| 2 | Tosha Schareina | Honda | 64 | 3 |
| 3 | Luciano Benavides | KTM | 61 | 6 |
| 4 | Ricky Brabec | Honda | 54 | 13 |
| 5 | Adrien Van Beveren | Honda | 41 | 26 |
| 6 | Skyler Howes | Honda* | 40 | 27 |
| 7 | Edgar Canet | KTM | 33 | 34 |
| 8 | Ross Branch | Hero | 31 | 36 |
| 9 | Ignacio Cornejo | Hero | 21 | 46 |
*Brand allocation as per the published points table. Howes will ride for ZXMOTO in Morocco; more on this below. Gaps are in points behind the leader. Source: official RallyGP standings.
Sanders has closed the gap, Schareina stays close
The defending champion travels to Morocco with two consecutive RallyGP wins. Schareina is just three points behind, Dakar winner Benavides six. Three different seasons collide here: Sanders has recently taken the initiative, Schareina is keeping pace and Benavides remains within close reach thanks to his strong start to the season. Source: W2RC preview of Morocco.
The individual results show how the top of the table has bunched up: after 17 points at Dakar, Sanders took 25 each in Portugal and Argentina. Schareina has 24, 20 and 20 points; Benavides 38, 10 and 13. Brabec follows with 54 points. His gap is larger, but two rallies remain. Source: official points overview.
Our assessment: the lead is too narrow to settle for managing it. At the same time, a navigation error or a technical problem can make an attack costly. Morocco therefore demands a good balance between pace and risk from the title contenders.
Manufacturers: KTM and Honda almost level
| Position | Manufacturer | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | KTM | 131 |
| 2 | Honda | 126 |
| 3 | Hero | 52 |
Only five points separate KTM and Honda. While the riders want to improve their own positions, the manufacturers’ standings also count the performance of their squads. Hero is well behind on 52 points. Source: official W2RC manufacturers’ standings after round three.
Howes with ZXMOTO: new colours in the RallyGP field
With the points scored so far, Skyler Howes is still listed under Honda in the official table. For the Rallye du Maroc, however, his debut with ZXMOTO has been announced. Tobias “Toni” Ebster is also said to be riding for the new brand, in Rally2. The table standing and current team affiliation have to be kept apart here.
In sporting terms, the first question is how quickly the new project finds its feet in competition. A change of brand says nothing about the level of performance in itself. Morocco offers the first opportunities for comparison. Source: official W2RC preview and announced line-up.
Morocco now, Abu Dhabi as the planned finale
The Rallye OLA Energy du Maroc is scheduled as the fourth round from 28 September to 3 October 2026. According to the published calendar, the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge from 22 to 27 November follows as the season finale. Morocco is therefore the penultimate world championship round in 2026.
The rally in Morocco combines different demands: sand, rocks, dunes and navigation. For the leading riders it is about points and a good starting position ahead of Abu Dhabi. For teams it is also an important benchmark before the next Dakar. Source: official W2RC 2026 calendar.
What matters now
Sanders has the lead, Schareina is right behind and Benavides still holds a promising position. Behind them, Brabec is trying to close the gap. The next round will show whether one of the favourites can pull clear or whether the title fight stays tight until the planned finale. The situation promises a Rallye du Maroc in which the daily results are as worth watching as the championship points.