Dakar 2023: South Africans made the country proud

An annual rally raid event hosted in Saudi Arabia, formally known as the Dakar Rally, has recently come to an end.

Running from the December 31, 2022 with the final chequered flag falling on the January 15, 2023, CAR Magazine decided to recap the gruelling rally.

The outline of the route was presented on the June 5, 2022, giving the teams enough time to do research and prepare for an intense test on determination and endurance under the blazing sun of Saudi Arabia. The route started at Sea Camp near Yanbu, on the Red Sea and stretched all the way to Dammam at a Persian Gulf shore.

For this season the route returned to the Empty Quarter with three group stages, including the marathon stage. Featuring 70% new tracks, fewer liaisons and 5 000kms of special stages. The route has been described as longer, more intense and encompassed many more dunes of the neverending Middle-Eastern desert.

Crews traversed the vast empty spaces of the Saudi Kingdom, after 14 stages that covered 8 000kms, of which 5 000km were against the clock.

Qatar’s Nasser AI-Attiyah and his French co-driver Mathieu Baumel successfully defended the Dakar title they won for Toyota Gazoo Racing in 2022, with an overall winning margin of one hour 20 minutes and 49 seconds. Flying the South African flag high, Giniel de Villiers and his co-driver Dennis Murphy crossed the line in fourth place overall. This has been the veteran South African rally icon’s 20th consecutive event.

Another pair of South Africans who incredibly represented the country was Henk Lategan and co-driver Brett Cummings. A tough race for Henk and Brett who came tantalisingly close to taking the lead as they moved as high as second place before running into a couple of setbacks that pushed them down to fifth place.

Being a little bit too far from the sixth position, Eben Basson and Pienaar’s names settled into a comfortable seventh position in the overall standings.

Not only was South Africa represented well by the drivers, but by a local Rally carmaker as well called Red-Lined. The manufacturer’s cars dominated the amateur class, as it took the T1.1 class win, as well as second place. All four Red-Lined cars that started the gruelling race finished in the class’ top five.