Toyota Gazoo Racing opened its 2026 Rally-Raid Championship campaign in the best possible way this weekend by securing victory.
After opening the season with victory and maximum points, TGRSA will head to its home event carrying plenty of momentum and confidence. Picture: Supplied
The first race of the SA Rally-Raid Competition (SARRC) season proved to be a stern test of man and machine with competitors facing fast open sections, rocky tracks, mud, dust and extensive off-piste sections hidden among the high grasslands surrounding Parys.
The result was one of the closest finishes in recent SARRC history, with only 31 seconds covering the top four crews after nearly six hours of racing.
Variawa and Moore
For defending champion Saood Variawa and new co-driver Charan Moore in their TGRSA Toyota Hilux, victory was anything but straightforward. The pair suffered from an unfavourable starting position during Friday’s action.
They lost time while running near the front of the field through the high grass and off-piste sections. But they still ended the first day of racing just three seconds adrift of the overall lead.
Saturday’s two long stages, however, provided an opportunity to fight back. Variawa and Moore immediately went on the attack, with the leading crews often separated by less than 15 seconds as they traded time throughout the opening loop.
“It was quite nice having a proper rally-raid dice with Gareth and Guy,” said Variawa afterwards. “We knew we had to push and again we put the hammer down in the second loop.”
The strategy paid off perfectly as the duo claimed victory by 29 seconds over the Ford Ranger pairing of Gareth Woolridge and Boyd Dreyer, while also taking maximum points in the Ultimate FIA T1+ category.
Botterill and Mena
TGRSA Toyota Hilux teammates Guy Botterill and Oriol Mena endured a weekend of mixed fortunes. The crew produced impressive pace throughout the event and strategically backed off slightly during Friday’s second loop in an effort to secure a favourable road position for Saturday’s action.
Unfortunately, that plan was undone by the presence of several closed farm gates during Saturday’s stages. Having caught the cars ahead while they were opening gates, Botterill soon found himself effectively opening the road despite sacrificing time the previous day to avoid exactly that situation.
The leading crews were compensated for the time lost while dealing with the gates, but for Botterill/Mena, there was no such relief. Even so, the crew remained firmly in contention for victory until two navigational errors late in the event cost them around 45 seconds.
Botterill and Mena eventually finished fourth overall, just one second shy of the final podium position and only 31 seconds behind the winners.
Variawa and Harris
The third TGRSA entry, crewed by Sa’aad Variawa and Wade Harris, showed encouraging pace throughout the weekend in their TGRSA Toyota Hilux, despite a series of setbacks. The pair ran competitively during Friday’s stages and were matching the pace of the leading crews before visibility issues caused by mud on the windscreen hampered their progress.
Saturday brought further frustration in the form of an early puncture, navigational delays and eventually becoming stuck in mud during the second loop. Despite the setbacks, the crew persevered to finish 11th overall.
Top of the table
The strong performances from all three crews, coupled with the victory for Variawa and Moore, ensured that TGRSA also claimed the Manufacturers’ Award at the opening round of the season.
The result sees Variawa and Moore leave Parys at the top of the championship standings as the South African Rally-Raid Championship now turns its attention to the second round of the season, the TGRSA-sponsored Marathon event in Stella from 24 to 26 July.
