Antonio Rius – Pablo Moreno (Seat Toledo Marathon), winners of the 1st RallyClassics Africa - RallyClassics

The new regularity rally-raid with navigation for classic and modern 4x4s ends with great success, after five demanding stages in Morocco.
Seat Históricos celebrates the 30th anniversary of the legendary Seat Toledo Marathon in style, winning the event with great authority.
The 2nd RallyClassics Africa already has dates: it will be held from 12th to 19th September 2024.

The 1st RallyClassics Africa has come to an end accompanied by great organizational and sporting success. After five intense stages and more than 700 kilometres traveling through the regions of Merzouga and Erfoud, 22 teams have reached the finish line at the Hotel Xaluca, confirming that this event has arrived to earn a place on the international off-road scene.

The happy faces and the prevailing emotion confirmed that the new challenge by RallyClassics has succeeded in its bet of creating a rally-raid designed as a preparation for the Dakar Classic. For Alex Romani, president of Club RallyClassics, “the success of the 1st RallyClassics Africa is huge. The teams themselves are telling us that there is currently no event as complete as this to prepare for the Dakar Classic. RallyClassics Africa is going to be one of the main events of our club in the immediate future, and from today we start working on the 2024 edition.”

RallyClassics Africa has been conceived as a regularity navigation rally-raid, in which drivers and co-drivers can test themselves along five stages. The teams have highlighted the high level of quality and demand of the roadbook, created in close collaboration with the specialists Josep Maria Servià and Fina Román. All this designed to offer a very complete adventure in the unparalleled setting that Merzouga and Erfoud offer, with landscapes that range from the famous dunes of Erg Chebbi (including a night of bivouac in the desert haimas) to the testing and fast dirt roads like the ones of the Dakar Rally.

RallyClassics Africa is an event suitable for both professional and amateur teams, and for classic and modern 4×4 vehicles, SSVs and trucks.

Remarkable return of the Seat Toledo Marathon

The 1st RallyClassics Africa will be remembered for the victory of the legendary Seat Toledo Marathon. The Seat Históricos team has celebrated the 30th anniversary of the Toledo Marathon in style, adding a new victory to the record of its raid prototype that debuted in 1993.

With Antonio Rius at the wheel, who already drove the car at the time, and the experienced co-pilot Pablo Moreno Huete, the Spanish brand has won with authority, demonstrating the enormous capabilities of a vehicle that did not participate in the Dakar, but that 30 years later has finally been able to navigate over the African dunes.

Lorenzo Fluxà –Xavier Ribas (Toyota Land Cruiser KZJ 95) have finished in second position and Asier Duarte – Luís Barbero (Toyota Land Cruiser HDJ 80) have completed the podium, all of them drivers and co-drivers with experience in the Dakar. The Classic Pre-2000 category has repeated the podium of the scratch classification. The MotorDona trophy for the best classified female team has gone to Amy Lerner – Sara Bossaert (Mitsubishi L200).

In the Classic Pre-1990 category, victory for BXS Motorsport – Ibiza Dakar Classic and their Lada Nivas, with Marcel Quirós – Daniel Ramos in the first place, followed by Matías Rodríguez – Sandra Guasch. The French Vincent Tourneur – Christian Lambert with their ex-official Mitsubishi Pajero Ralliart T2 have completed the podium.

In Open, the category for modern vehicles, the victory has gone to one of the three Seat Ateca Marathon prepared for the occasion by Seat Históricos. Despite their reduced level of preparation, the Spanish brand’s SUVs have been very effective from the first moment and have boosted the duo formed by journalist Joan Dalmau and his co-driver Aran Sol to first place in the classification. Behind them have finished Christian Lantres – Marie Lantres (Toyota Land Cruiser HDJ 120) and Isaac Ciurana – Sandra Iniesta (Polaris XP900).

Finally, in the Truck category, the podium has gone to the TH-Trucks Team, with victory for Rafael Lesmes-Ariel Quintana-José Luís Ruano (Mercedes 1844 AK), followed by Alberto Herrero-Álvaro Calvo-Gustavo Ibeas (MAN 6×6).

Teams of five different nationalities, including Argentina, the United States, Belgium, France and Spain have participated in this event which has included more than a dozen teams that have participated in the Dakar Rally, many of them assisted by TH-Trucks Team and Pedregà Team.

RallyClassics Africa, with those affected by the Marrakech earthquake

RallyClassics Africa has worked from the beginning to support those affected by the earthquake, offering different options to make donations in collaboration with Grup Xaluca and local authorities. Finally, more than 200 kg of warm clothing have been donated, which along with haimas and much other material, have already been sent to the area, where Grup Xaluca is setting up a camp to temporarily house those affected.

The 2nd RallyClassics Africa, in September 2024

The success of this first edition has allowed the RallyClassics organization to end the event by announcing the dates of the 2nd RallyClassics Africa, which will take place from 12^th to 19^th September 2024 in Morocco.