Merzouga Rally is a rally raid that takes place in Morocco every year since 2010 at the beginning of October in the big dunes of Merzouga . It’s a five-day race plus prologue and a marathon stage in the desert. The stages are varied and around 200–300 km long. Navigation is the key and the competitors use the GPS Unik2, the same used on the Dakar Rally . Safety is important as well with the competitors using the Iritrack, the tracking system studied for the African rallies. Plus a professional medical staff with 4x4 ambulances and doctors on bike and quad along the track and heli-ambulance service. To meet the needs of the professional riders but also the necessities of amateurs, the Merzouga Rally features the division of the route in 2 categories: PRO: open to pro riders and those competitors ready for an ultimate challenge EXPERT: a technical and navigated route but less extreme stages as the Expert riders will cover the 75% of the complete route of the Pro riders. The Merzouga Raid: Ideal for those who face the desert for the first time. At their own pace, riding on the same route of the rally in small groups with an expert guide. The vehicles will be equipped with world track, the satellite system that allow to follow the vehicles on track in real time. (for the rider no sports licence is required). Merzouga Rally took originally place in October and then was organized in April: the 2020 edition was originally planned on May, although it was finally cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic . The organizers postponed it until its next edition on 2021, which it never took place.
6-582: In 2010, 40 competitors took part to the first edition of the Merzouga Rally. Every year the rally grows reaching an average of more than 120 vehicles on track. Studied by Italian promoter Edoardo Mossi , the Merzouga Rally formula is addressed to all amateurs that challenge the desert for the first time, but also for the professional riders who wish to train in preparation of the Dakar Rally. Many riders described Merzouga as ''the perfect training for
12-569: The Dakar Rally , which he won in 2017 and 2022 . Sunderland made his Dakar debut in 2012 , riding a Honda , after winning the UAE National Baja Championship in 2010 and 2011. He was forced to retire on the third stage due to an electrical fault, and was unable to compete the following year after breaking both wrists in testing prior to the event. Riding for the factory Honda team in 2014 , Sunderland became
18-628: The Dakar Rally in 2017. Sunderland was the recipient of the Royal Automobile Club 's 2017 Segrave Trophy "for being the first Briton to win a Dakar Rally crown by winning the motorcycle category in 2017". In 2018 Dakar Rally Sam won stages 1 and 3 before crashing out in stage 4. 2019 Dakar Rally saw Sam winning stages 5 and 7, and finishing 3rd overall. In 2020 edition in Saudi Arabia Sam crashed out with an injury in stage 5. In 2022, Sunderland won first place in
24-632: The Dakar aboard quads and SxS, and Axel Dutrie two-time Merzouga winner in this category. The SxS category has seen wins from Nasser Al-Attiyah the Qatarian driver and four-time Dakar car winner, Reinaldo Varela SxS Dakar winner, and Annie Seel the multi time finisher in the Dakar on bikes. Sam Sunderland Sam Sunderland (born 15 April 1989 in Poole ) is a Dubai -based British rally raid motorcycle rider, best known for his participation in
30-617: The Dakar''. The race is open to the bike, quad and SxS categories (side-by-side). The winners of the Merzouga Rally in the bikes include Helder Rodrigues, Sam Sunderland , Pål Anders Ullevålseter , Kevin Benavides , Joan Barreda and Adrien van Beveren, who used the Moroccan rally as a launch pad for the Dakar. In quads, the most famous winners are Nicolas Cavigliasso (who won Dakar 2019), Camelia Liparoti six time FIM Women's Cross-Country Rallies World Cup winner and multi finisher in
36-673: The first British rider to win a stage of the Dakar since John Deacon in 1998 when he won the second stage to move up to third in the overall classification, only to suffer engine failure the following day and drop out of the rally. Later that year, he was signed to the factory KTM team, winning two stages of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge and placing second in the Morocco Rally. Sam went on to win Morocco rally in 2015 and won Qatar sealine rally in 2016. He won
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