Antoine Morel‘s MD Rallye Sport has pulled back the curtain on their newest rally raid challenger, the MD Optimus EVO 5, that will make its début at the Rallye du Maroc before tackling the 2024 Dakar Rally.
As the name suggests, the EVO 5 is the fifth edition in MD’s Optimus T1 line first introduced in 2010; the EVO series débuted with the EVO 3 in 2018. Development took place over a year, and it features “radical technical changes” from its predecessors such as upgraded chassis, drivetrain, engine, and a more aerodynamic body.
The team had mainly been fielding the EVO 4 since 2020, though older models have also seen action as recently as the 2023 Dakar Rally in January. Eleven Optimuses, seven of which were built in MD’s shop in Fleury, took part in the T1.2 category for 4×2 cars, where Christian Lavieille led the way in second overall (eleventh among all T1 entries).
Simon Vitse will race the EVO 5 at the Rallye du Maroc. Vitse, who piloted an EVO 4 at Dakar but retired after crashing, is one of four MD Optimus cars entered alongside Jean-Luc Ceccaldi, Jean-Rémy Bergounhe, and Gintas Petrus.
The Rallye du Maroc will run from 13 to 18 October.
