Eryk Goczał wins final stage of Rally of Morocco as Seth Quintero takes overall victory

Final stage victory in Zagora

Polish driver Eryk Goczał and navigator Szymon Gospodarczyk won the fifth and final stage of the Rally of Morocco on Saturday, 3 October 2026. The stage featured a 259-kilometer loop around Zagora and formed the penultimate stop of the World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC). Driving a Ford Raptor T1+ in their competition debut with the vehicle, the Energylandia Rally Team crew completed the stage 56 seconds ahead of Portugal's Joao Ferreira in a Toyota. Defending world champion Lucas Moraes of Brazil took third place in a Dacia, 1 minute 48 seconds behind Goczał.

Duel with Sébastien Loeb

The stage victory followed a continuous contest between Goczał and French rally veteran Sébastien Loeb across the 259-kilometer special. The two drivers traded stage leads throughout the day and posted identical stage times at the final checkpoint, located nine kilometers before the finish. On the final kilometer, Loeb struck difficulty on rough terrain while attempting a tighter line into the finish. Goczał reflected on the contest after crossing the line.

To be honest, I did not know that we were fighting so fiercely with Loeb for victory. To me he is a legend, so I feel proud that we were able to match his pace. On the last kilometer the terrain was very difficult, and I saw that right before the finish line he tried to cut the route and tore off a wheel.

Masters championship and overall car standings

The stage win marked the second podium finish of the rally for Goczał and Gospodarczyk, following a second-place finish on stage two. In the overall Ultimate class standings, American driver Seth Quintero won the rally in a Toyota. Goczał finished eighth overall, less than 17 minutes behind Quintero, placing ahead of experienced drivers Nasser Al-Attiyah, Martin Prokop, and Denis Krotov. In the second Energylandia car, Marek Goczał and navigator Maciej Marton finished 16th on Saturday and 11th overall. Their result secured the Rally of Morocco victory in the Masters category and clinched the 2026 Masters world championship title one round before the end of the season.

We won the final stage of the Rally of Morocco. We achieved this after a full day of battling Sébastien Loeb, it is an incredible feeling. The Ford performed great on Saturday, and the team did a fantastic job. In addition, my dad and Maciek won the world championship in the Masters category, so we are really happy. Now it is time to celebrate.

Motorbike classification and championship calendar

In the motorcycle division, Spaniard Edgar Canet won the rally on Saturday after overtaking factory KTM teammate Daniel Sanders of Australia on the final stage. Canet finished slightly more than one minute ahead of Sanders over a total route of 2,637 kilometers, which included more than 1,500 kilometers of timed special stages. Polish rider Konrad Dąbrowski took 26th on Saturday and 24th in the final standings on his KTM, placing 15th in the Rally 2 class and third among juniors. Fellow Polish amateur riders Sławomir Sypień, Tomasz Orwat, and Marek Halamunda completed the route in the middle of the field, while Edward Ruszczyc and Krzysztof Kubiś took 10th in the Challenger class in their Taurus. The W2RC concludes with its fifth round in the United Arab Emirates from 22 to 27 November 2026.