Classic Desert Tour 2027: timed classic rally raids in Morocco

A new series of rally raids for classic vehicles is taking shape in Morocco: the Classic Desert Tour will debut in 2027. Its first event is the Merzouga 1000 Classic, scheduled for 17 to 23 April 2027.

A series from the Pionniers Classic organiser

Behind the project is Philippe Rey, a Paris-Dakar alumnus, and his company 4C, which already runs the Pionniers Classic and the Merzouga 1000 Classic. Morocco hosts both events. The organiser hopes to add races in Italy, Spain and Portugal. The Pionniers Classic was called off in 2026 because of logistical concerns tied to the Dakar Classic.

Speed, not regularity

That is the heart of the series: events are run as timed speed races under the 4C Cross Country Chrono Classic rulebook, rather than on regularity, the format of most classic rallies. The Merzouga 1000 Classic website says the same: it is a race against the clock, not a regularity event, and a "raid" version lets entrants follow the same tracks at a more relaxed pace.

Philippe Rey says he wants to preserve rally-raid heritage without treating it as a relic: in his view these cars were built to race and should keep competing against the stopwatch. He accepts that regularity is a good entry point but prefers speed-based competition. The stopwatch, adventure, performance and the freedom to race across open desert should, he says, give the series its identity.

Four categories by production date

Vehicles are classed by when they were built:

• Pionnier: 1978 to 1989;
• Classic: the 1990s;
• Open Youngtimer: the 2000s;
• Desert One: 2010 to 2020.

The classic raid context

The Dakar Classic is a regularity raid and, with the Rallye du Maroc Classic, part of the Classic Series Trophy. The Classic Desert Tour aims to offer a sporting alternative, with a coherent rulebook, a structured programme and events sharing one philosophy. Distance and entry conditions are not yet known.

Follow it on karrazmotorsport.com.