The toughest motorsport event kicks off on 3 January and will run for 13 stages over 4900km in the Saudi Arabian desert.
Toyota Gazoo Racing South Africa has announced a four-car team assault on next year’s Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia, which kicks off on 3 January and ends 14 days later.
Drivers and co-drivers
A truly international line-up, all four crews will be campaigning the latest version of the GR Hilux Evo, and comprise the following driver and co-driver combinations:
• #211 – Juan Cruz Yacopini (ARG) / Daniel Oliveras (ESP)
• #213 – Saood Variawa (RSA) / Francois Cazalet (FRA)
• #218 – Guy Botterill (RSA) / Oriol Mena (ESP)
• #240 – João Ferreira (POR) / Filipe Palmeiro (POR)
In addition to the newly crowned South African Rally-Raid Champions Variawa and Cazalet, Yacopini and Oliveras took the title of this year’s World Baja Cup series after winning the recent season closer in Dubai.
It won’t be easy
“Dakar is more than a race for us – it is the ultimate proving ground for the Hilux brand. The environment is harsh, the distances extreme, and the conditions unpredictable,” Toyota South Africa Motors vice-president of marketing, Glenn Crompton, said.
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“It gives us an unmatched platform to demonstrate the quality, durability and reliability that define Hilux, while also helping our engineers to keep building ever-better cars.”
Starting with the traditional prologue on 3 January, the event proper kicks off the next days, followed by the welcome rest day outside the Saudi capital Riyadh six days later.
Regrouping the next day, six stages over six days await, before the finish on Red Sea coastal city of Yanbu.
In total, the event spans 13 stages held over a total of 4 901km of competitive driving through the Saudi desert.
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