Rallye Sirocco to Take 15 Crews Across Morocco in Support of 323 Students

The inaugural 18–23 December regularity rally will trace a 1,035 km loop through the High Atlas and Sahara, with planned school visits in two southern communities.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Rallye Sirocco is scheduled for 18–23 December 2026, with 15 two-person crews on a 1,035 km Marrakech circuit across the High Atlas and Saharan south.
• Organisers plan school-supply deliveries and visits benefiting 112 students in M’Hamid El Ghizlane and 211 in Aït Ben Haddou.
• The 24,000 MAD (€2,400) per-crew fee includes an MG ZS Hybrid+ car, fuel, accommodation, meals and rally logistics; all places are currently filled, with a waiting list open.
• The inaugural event will use Moroccan-developed tracking, navigation and regularity-timing tools intended to support future rallies.

Morocco’s High Atlas passes, palm-lined southern valleys and Sahara-edge landscapes will become the setting for a new kind of motoring journey this December. Rallye Sirocco, an inaugural six-day regularity rally running from 18 to 23 December 2026, plans to bring 15 two-person crews along a 1,035-kilometre circuit from Marrakech and back, with visits to local schools at the centre of its programme.

The event is being organised on a non-profit basis by the Association Sportive de l’Automobile Club Marocain (ASACM) and the Association de la Jeunesse Marocaine en France (AJMF), with MG as title partner. Its organisers are positioning the route as both a motoring challenge and an introduction to Morocco’s communities, historic settlements and desert landscapes, rather than a contest for outright speed.

School visits give the route a purpose beyond the road

One of the rally’s principal commitments is to support 323 students at two schools along the journey: 112 in M’Hamid El Ghizlane, near the Sahara, and 211 in Aït Ben Haddou. The organisers say part of each crew’s participation fee will fund school-supply kits, which participants are expected to deliver during in-person visits rather than through a separate distribution operation.

The initiative is being coordinated by Aziza Rim, secretary general of ASACM and the rally’s humanitarian actions manager. It is framed around four United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, covering education, health and well-being, sustainable communities and partnerships. Association Joy, One Hand and Moroccan Car Girls are among the supporting organisations named for the programme. The school visits and deliveries remain planned activities for December, not benefits that have already been distributed.

The involvement of Aït Ben Haddou also connects the educational programme with one of southern Morocco’s notable heritage destinations. The settlement’s fortified earthen ksar is inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, recognising the region’s traditional pre-Saharan architecture.

Four driving legs from the Atlas to the Sahara

The published route divides the rally into four driving legs within a six-day itinerary. Crews gather in Marrakech on 18 December before setting off the following day across the High Atlas via Tizi n’Tichka to Ouarzazate, covering 219 kilometres.

On 20 December, a 252-kilometre leg follows the Drâa Valley towards M’Hamid El Ghizlane, where the programme includes a desert four-wheel-drive excursion, a cultural evening and the first planned school visit. The longest day, 21 December, covers 374 kilometres towards Aït Ben Haddou, passing through Zagora, Foum El Oued and Taznakht, with a second school visit along the way. A 190-kilometre return across the Atlas takes the crews back to Marrakech on 22 December for the closing ceremony; the final day, 23 December, is devoted to departures.

Regularity rallying tests consistency and navigation rather than top speed. Drivers and co-drivers use a roadbook to maintain specified average speeds between checkpoints, with penalties for reaching them either early or late. No racing licence is required; organisers state that a Category B driving licence is sufficient for the driver. The approach makes the event accessible to motoring enthusiasts without conventional racing experience while still demanding careful timing and teamwork.

An inclusive participation package and Moroccan-built rally tools

Participation is priced at 24,000 Moroccan dirhams (€2,400) per two-person crew. According to the official participation details, the package includes use of an MG ZS Hybrid+ rally car, fuel, selected accommodation, meals, cultural activities, event clothing and operational support. The MG HS Hybrid+ will be used by event staff. International travel to and from Marrakech is not included. The event website currently reports that all 15 crew places are filled and that a free waiting list is open.

The organisers also want the inaugural edition to serve as a test bed for rally technology developed in Morocco. Planned systems include Sirocco Tracker for vehicle location and safety assistance, using Teltonika hardware; Sirocco Map for digital route information; separate timing and regularity calculations; and an online leaderboard with a private crew portal. These are presented as foundations that could be reused for future Moroccan rallies.

Alongside the logistical work, the event has an artistic strand. The organisers’ official plate uses Moroccan architectural motifs and colours, while Moroccan fragrance house KKuny and perfumer Youssef Bouras have developed TAGELDIT, a limited-edition scent with 19 notes intended to evoke places on the itinerary, from Marrakech to the southern valleys and the Atlas.

Rallye Sirocco was co-founded by Mohamed Ettoubaji, Khalil Belfqih, Dounia Christina Smaani and Mohamed Birouaine. It is directed by Abdelouahed Ettoubaji, ASACM president and an experienced Moroccan motorsport organiser who participated in the 2007 Paris–Dakar. The Fédération Marocaine des Véhicules Anciens (FMVA) and the Association de la Jeunesse Marocaine à Toulouse (AJMT) are supporting organisations, with Medousa Car joining Teltonika and KKuny among the event partners.

For travellers interested in Morocco beyond its best-known city breaks, the proposed itinerary illustrates how a small-format motoring event can combine access to rural landscapes, cultural encounters and direct community engagement. Its lasting contribution, however, will depend not on the kilometres completed but on how the organisers deliver the school-support programme and sustain the technical and community partnerships after the first edition.