World Rally-Raid Championship

43 drivers, 37 riders signed up for 2024 W2RC

5 Mins read
Credit: Kin Marcin/Red Bull Content Pool

Eighty teams will duke it out across six classes for the 2024 World Rally-Raid Championship, forty-three of which comprise the FIA categories while the other thirty-seven are in the FIM.

Twenty cars will vie for the Ultimate (formerly T1) title headlined by twice reigning champion Nasser Al-Attiyah, now at Prodrive. Al-Attiyah’s departure means Toyota’s W2RC leader is Yazeed Al-Rajhi, who finished runner-up to Al-Attiyah in 2023, and fellow Hilux driver Juan Cruz Yacopini who placed third. Toyota Gazoo Racing, the defending manufacturer’s champion, will now be represented by Seth Quintero and Lucas Moraes.

Team Audi Sport has also committed to the manufacturer’s title fight with a triumvirate of Mattias Ekström, Stéphane Peterhansel, and Carlos Sainz. With their final season under their current contract set to begin, they hope to go out on top should they ultimately not renew at season’s end. X-raid Team will pitch two Minis piloted by reigning FIA European Baja Cup champion Krzysztof Hołowczyc and Ultimate newcomer Pau Navarro.

Al-Attiyah’s new team-mate and 2022 runner-up Sébastien Loeb, along with his Bahrain Raid Xtreme team, are notably missing from the picture. Loeb has not announced his other plans for 2024 while Prodrive plans to transition to Dacia with Loeb and Al-Attiyah in 2025. Even if they do not sign up for the championship, they will at least take part in the Dakar Rally while Al-Attiyah still has other registered Prodrive allies in Cristian and Marcos Baumgart of X Rally Team.

As he moves to Ultimate, Quintero leaves behind a twelve-person toss-up for the Challenger (formerly T3) title. His fellow Americans Mitch Guthrie and Austin Jones hope to finally claim the championship after losing to Quintero at the final round in 2023. However, they face stiff competition from SSV (T4) graduates Rokas Baciuška and the Goczał family; Baciuška is the twice defending T4 champion, while Eryk Goczał won the Dakar Rally in his début in 2023 and his father Marek Goczał won in the family’s maiden T3 race in Morocco.

João Ferreira figures to be the favourite in SSV as the former T3 driver won his first start in the class at Morocco. Most of the eleven SSV entrants like Ferreira are in Can-Am Mavericks, though Michele Cinotto is in a Polaris RZR Pro R.

RallyGP, the top flight of bike racing, has ten riders registered for points. However, champion Luciano Benavides does not appear to be one of them nor is his brother and reigning Dakar winner Kevin Benavides; the former will still race with #1 in 2024. Neither Red Bull factory team at GasGas or KTM have signed up either, which excludes W2RC runner-up Toby Price, Matthias Walkner (out for Dakar due to injury), Sam Sunderland, and Daniel Sanders.

On the other hand, Monster Energy-sponsored riders comprise the entire RallyGP W2RC field via the six members of Monster Energy Honda Rally Team and four from Hero MotoSports. Tosha Schareina will now race for the title after an impressive 2023 as a Honda privateer.

Seventeen riders make up the Rally2 class headlined by 2023 winner Romain Dumontier. Tobias Ebster, the 2023 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge victor, is the only rider of those signed up to compete solo without a team as part of the Malle Moto subcategory.

All ten Quad riders entered at Dakar, including last year’s champion Laisvydas Kancius, have signed up for the championship.

Registration for the championship closed on 13 December, though one does not have to be a points-eligible competitor to run a W2RC round. The five-race 2024 season begins with the Dakar Rally on 5 January.

FIA

Ultimate (T1)

NumberDriverCo-DriverTeamVehicleClass
200Nasser Al-AttiyahMathieu BaumelNasser RacingProdrive HunterT1+
201Yazeed Al-RajhiTimo GottschalkOverdrive RacingToyota Hilux OverdriveT1+
202Stéphane PeterhanselÉdouard BoulangerTeam Audi SportAudi RS Q e-tron E2T1.U
204Carlos SainzLucas CruzTeam Audi SportAudi RS Q e-tron E2T1.U
205Juan Cruz YacopiniDaniel OliveirasOverdrive RacingToyota Hilux OverdriveT1+
206Lucas MoraesArmand MonleónToyota Gazoo RacingToyota GR DKR HiluxT1+
207Mattias EkströmEmil BergkvistTeam Audi SportAudi RS Q e-tron E2T1.U
208Martin ProkopViktor ChytkaORLEN Jipocar TeamFord RaptorT1+
211Guerlain ChicheritAlex WinocqOverdrive RacingToyota Hilux OverdriveT1+
215Denis KrotovKonstantin ZhiltsovOverdrive RacingToyota Hilux OverdriveT1+
216Seth QuinteroDennis ZenzToyota Gazoo RacingToyota GR DKR HiluxT1+
217Krzysztof HołowczycŁukasz KurzejaX-raid Mini JCW TeamMini John Cooper Works Rally PlusT1+
221Guillaume de MéviusXavier PanseriOverdrive RacingToyota Hilux OverdriveT1+
226Saood VariawaFrançois CazaletToyota Gazoo RacingToyota GR DKR HiluxT1+
229Lionel BaudLucie BaudOverdrive RacingToyota Hilux OverdriveT1+
230Pau NavarroGonçalo ReisX-raid Mini JCW TeamMini John Cooper Works Rally PlusT1+
239Aliyyah KolocSébastien DelaunayBuggyra ZM RacingRed-Lined REVOT1+
241Jean-Lul CeccaldiThomas GaidellaJLC RacingMD OptimusT1.2
242Marcos BaumgartKleber KinceaX Rally TeamProdrive HunterT1+
245Cristian BaumgartAlberto AndreottiX Rally TeamProdrive HunterT+

Challenger (T3)

NumberDriverCo-DriverTeamVehicle
300Rokas BaciuškaOriol VidalRed Bull Can-Am Factory RacingCan-Am Maverick XRS Turbo
302Eryk GoczałOriol MenaEnergyLandia Rally TeamMCE-5 Taurus T3 Max
303Mitch GuthrieKellon WalchRed Bull Off-Road Junior TeamMCE-5 Taurus T3 Max
304Marek GoczałMaciej MartonEnergyLandia Rally TeamMCE-5 Taurus T3 Max
305Austin JonesGustavo GugelminRed Bull Off-Road Junior TeamCan-Am Maverick XRS Turbo
308David ZilleSebastian CesanaSouth Racing Can-AmCan-Am Maverick XRS Turbo
310Michał GoczałSzymon GospodarczykEnergyLandia Rally TeamMCE-5 Taurus T3 Max
312Nicolás CavigliassoValentina PertegariniWevers SportMCE-5 Taurus T3 Max
315Ricardo PorémAugusto SanzMMP CompétitionMMP Can-Am T3
317Mário FrancoDaniel JordãoFranco SportYamaha YXZ1000R
318Marcelo GastaldiCarlos SachsBBR MotorsportMCE-5 Taurus T3 Max
329Dania AkeelStéphane DupleWevers SportMCE-5 Taurus T3 Max

SSV (T4)

NumberDriverCo-DriverTeamVehicle
400João FerreiraFilipe PalmeiroSouth Racing Can-AmCan-Am Maverick XRS Turbo
404Claude FournierSerge GounonBBR MotorsportCan-Am Maverick XRS Turbo
406Rebecca BusiSergio LafuenteOnlyFans RacingCan-Am Maverick XRS Turbo
407Eduard PonsJaume BetriuSouth Racing Can-AmCan-Am Maverick XRS Turbo
408Yasir SeaidanAdrien MetgeMMP CompétitionCan-Am Maverick XRS Turbo
409Sebastián GuayasamínFernando Matias AcostaFN Speed TeamCan-Am Maverick XRS Turbo
410Michele CinottoAlberto BertoldiXtremeplusPolaris RZR Pro R
414Cristiano de Sousa BatistaFausto MotaSouth Racing Can-AmCan-Am Maverick XRS Turbo
419Sara PriceJeremy GraySouth Racing Can-AmCan-Am Maverick XRS Turbo
440André ThewessenDmytro TsyroATS RallyCan-Am Maverick XRS Turbo
442Enrico GaspariAku Facundo JatonTH-Trucks TeamPolaris RZR Pro R

FIM

RallyGP

NumberRiderTeamBike
7Pablo QuintanillaMonster Energy Honda Rally TeamHonda CRF 450 Rally
9Ricky BrabecMonster Energy Honda Rally TeamHonda CRF 450 Rally
10Skyler HowesMonster Energy Honda Rally TeamHonda CRF 450 Rally
11José Ignacio CornejoMonster Energy Honda Rally TeamHonda CRF 450
14Sebastian BühlerHero MotoSportsHero 450 Rally
27Joaquim RodriguesHero MotoSportsHero 450 Rally
42Adrien Van BeverenMonster Energy Honda Rally TeamHonda CRF 450 Rally
46Ross BranchHero MotoSportsHero 450 Rally
68Tosha SchareinaMonster Energy Honda Rally TeamHonda CRF 450 Rally
88Joan BarredaHero MotoSportsHero 450 Rally

Rally2

NumberRiderTeamBike
16Romain DumontierTeam Dumontier RacingHusqvarna 450 Rally Replica
17Paolo LucciBAS World KTM Racing TeamKTM 450 Rally Replica
18Bradley CoxBAS World KTM Racing TeamKTM 450 Rally Replica
22Michael DochertyBAS World KTM Racing TeamKTM 450 Rally Replica
24Toni MulecBAS World KTM Racing TeamKTM 450 Rally Replica
26Konrad DąbrowskiDUUST Rally TeamKTM 450 Rally Replica
28Mathieu DovèzeBAS World KTM Racing TeamKTM 450 Rally Replica
33Jan BrabecStrojrent RacingKTM 450 Rally Replica
41Diego LlanosXraids ExperienceKTM 450 Rally Replica
51Rachid Al-Lal LahadilMelilla Ciudad del DeporteHusqvarna 450 Rally Replica
59Francisco ArredondoBAS World KTM Racing TeamKTM 450 Rally Replica
73Charan MooreHT Rally Raid Husqvarna RacingHusqvarna 450 Rally Replica
76Jean-Loup LepanDUUST Rally TeamKTM 450 Rally Replica
86Charlie HerbstTeam All TracksGasGas 450 Rally Replica
96Tobias EbsterKini Rally Racing TeamKTM 450 Rally Replica
113Sebastián UrquíaXraids ExperienceKTM 450 Rally Replica
124Kerim Fitz-GeraldBAS World KTM Racing TeamKTM 450 Rally Replica
Bold – Junior Trophy
Italics – Veteran Trophy
Underscore – Malle Moto

Quad

NumberRiderTeamQuad
170Laisvydas KanciusStory Racing SROYamaha Raptor 700
171Juraj VargaVarga MotorsportYamaha Raptor 700
172Alexandre GiroudDrag’on Rally TeamYamaha Raptor 700
173Francisco MorenoDrag’on Rally TeamYamaha Raptor 700
174Manuel Andújar7240 TeamYamaha Raptor 700
175Antanas KanopkinasCFMOTO Thunder Racing TeamCFMOTO CFORCE 1000
176Toni VingutVisit Sant Antoni – IbizaYamaha Raptor 700
177Marcelo MedeirosTaguatur Racing TeamYamaha Raptor 700
178Samuel DesbuissonDrag’on Rally TeamYamaha Raptor 700
179Hani Al-NoumesiHani Al-NoumesiYamaha Raptor 700
Avatar photo
4023 posts

About author
Justin is not an off-road racer, but he writes about it for The Checkered Flag.
Articles
Related posts
World Rally-Raid Championship

Greg Gilson to race Qatar International Baja on 1980 Honda XLS 125

1 Mins read
In a sea of 450cc rally bikes, Greg Gilson will be on the oldest motorcycle by a wide margin at this weekend’s Qatar Baja when he races a 45-year-old Honda XLS 125cc.
World Rally-Raid Championship

FIA tweaks start order for 2025 W2RC

2 Mins read
To prevent early gamesmanship, the FIA has updated the start order for the 2025 World Rally-Raid Championship. The first cars out for Stage 1 will be those with Prologue times within 110% of the winner, while repositioned Ultimate drivers with Silver priority will have new spots too.
World Rally-Raid Championship

Joao Ramos concerned with UTVs' increasing advantage in Bajas

3 Mins read
While the Ultimate class is the top category in cross-country rally, side-by-sides sweeping the Baja Portalegre 500 podium makes Ultimate driver João Ramos feel he is “throwing money away and fighting a losing battle”.