Akira Miura is used to competing towards fellow Toyota Land Cruiser driver Ronald Basso, so the Rallye du Maroc was a change of tempo when his classmates as an alternative included a Purple-Lined REVO+ GT-R and even a Century CR7-T.
Miura’s Toyota Land Cruiser 300 GR Sport differed from the one utilized by Basso, that includes air intakes on the bonnet and an Emirati-designed engine. For the reason that automobile had not been homologated by the FIA, Miura was consigned to the Open class whereas Basso’s Land Cruiser was allowed to compete within the Inventory class.
As such, his production-based Land Cruiser was grouped in with people who ordinarily race within the premier Final class. Martin Koloc piloted a Purple-Lined REVO GT-R whereas Sam Heyvaert was in a Nissan Purple-Lined T1.1; the GT-R is the successor to the REVO T1+, utilizing a detuned Nissan R35 GT-R engine and launched in April.
Predictably, Koloc’s REVO was sooner than the Land Cruiser as he set the quickest time amongst Open vehicles throughout the primary two levels. Whereas his Land Cruiser would normally be outclassed by an Final machine, Miura stored tempo with the second quickest occasions, roughly fifteen minutes behind, even when neither’s aim was to beat the opposite.
Koloc finally withdrew from the classification after his daughter Aliyyah Koloc, who was racing a REVO T1+ in Final, rolled right into a ditch in Stage #3. Unofficially, he stayed with the race to proceed growing the GT-R for the 2025 season.
“It was a optimistic rally for us regardless of Aliyyah’s accident. We had nice tempo, and I had a prime navigator with Mirko (Brun) who stepped in on the final minute,” stated the older Koloc, the pinnacle of Buggyra ZM Racing who made his cross-country rally début in August. “For the ultimate day, we have been in a position to enhance the automobile set-up and judging from the cut up occasions, I feel we did a great job. I’m actually pleased with how now we have been progressing.
“We’ve got a quick automobile with nice potential, however we have to enhance its reliability. As soon as now we have achieved so, we will end and get good outcomes. We discovered lots and bought an incredible quantity of information which is able to assist us to enhance the automobile for the Dakar. It’s been instructional.”
Like Koloc, Miura targeted on seeing if his Land Cruiser may maintain surviving within the desert for lengthy durations. Whereas issues went relatively easily at first, Stage #3 introduced the primary challenge when the water temperature began to rise, forcing him to cut back the air stress so the engine wouldn’t overload. Issues then escalated on the fourth leg when the driveshaft broke whereas driving by gravel, forcing him and co-driver Jean-Michel Polato to cease for an hour to repair the difficulty.
The Land Cruiser lastly reached its prime permitted velocity of 170 km/h throughout the remaining leg in a clear day. By the tip, Miura’s time of 21:00:37 was half an hour sooner than Basso’s, maybe to be anticipated given he was in an upgraded Land Cruiser that underwent in depth testing in Morocco over the summer time.
“Just like the Dakar Rally, the Rallye du Maroc will get tougher yearly,” Miura said. “This 12 months’s race was on a wide range of tough terrain, so we have been in a position to get some nice expertise to organize for the Dakar Rally. We’ll work collectively as a staff to attain our twelfth consecutive victory on the 2025 Dakar Rally.”
Mathieu Serradori and his Century CR7-T have been moved from Final to Open for the second half of the rally after being disqualified for underweight wheels that used beadlocks. He set the quickest time of all Open autos in Stage #4.
Jongbloed Dakar Staff, in partnership with MKR, fielded two Renault hybrid vans as Open entries for Gert Huzink and his cousin Kay Huzink.
Gert’s truck, nicknamed “The Beast”, retired after the third stage as a result of the nostril got here unfastened and wouldn’t keep on regardless of makes an attempt to reattach it, whereas racing with out it triggered the engine to overheat. Kay, who was racing Gert’s earlier Renault, had a slew of mechanical issues that included a observe bar, shock absorber, and air line to rupture within the closing kilometres of Stage #3, adopted by a number of flats in Stage #4.
Regardless of the struggles, Kay managed to achieve the end.
“We instantly had good velocity, however we have been already coping with a whole lot of mud,” Kay recalled on the finish of Stage #5. “As soon as we overtook a number of autos, every part went easily, and we went full throttle to the end.
“An extremely instructional week wherein we skilled all types of issues, making it a profitable check for us in preparation for Dakar.”
Ali Oubassidi, who organises off-road excursions within the Moroccan desert, dominated the Open SSV facet. FIA World Baja Cup competitor Bartłomiej Kotwica notched a stage win as nicely, however was set again by mechanical issues that made him solely fourth quickest amongst such autos.
“I labored exhausting and ready nicely to win this nice rally,” Outbassidi commented. “The race was not simple for me, particularly since I used to be in a modest automobile whose mechanical and technical specs have been beneath these of everybody else’s fashionable autos.
“However thank God, I used to be in a position to overcome these challenges and obtain this necessary victory because of dedication, resolve, encouragement from pals, and the assistance of my navigator Hanane Amraoui, who performed a significant half on this achievement.”
