Nasser Al-Attiyah will make his Carta Rallye debut in April, once again racing the MD Optimus that he’s been using in bajas.

The rally is a month after the BP Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal, where Al-Attiyah will look to build upon the W2RC points lead he attained by winning the Dakar Rally in January. Despite the win, Dacia plans to shut down its program at the end of the 2026 season.

In the meantime, Al-Attiyah has been doing the FIA Baja Cups in the Optimus. Despite being new to T1.2 cars, he won in his debut with the car at the Saudi Baja in January. He also led the Jordan Baja a month later until a fuel pump issue relgated him to fourth.

The Carta Rallye is not on the W2RC calendar, but is often used as a stepping stone for those hoping to get into desert rallies. Sherco Rally Factory Team even eschewed racing Portugal to run Carta to refine their desert program.

Featured image credit: Julien Delfosse / DPPI / ASO