Rally-Raid Championship finale: Toyota GR Hilux Evo line-up ready for Bushveld 400
Toyota Gazoo Racing heads to the Northam Bushveld 400 finale with Saood Variawa just three points off the title after five rounds of the championship.
After five rounds, Toyota Gazoo Racing South Africa heads to this weekend’s final round of this year’s Rally-Raid Championship, the Northam Bushveld 400, with a chance of taking the title.
No holding back
The Citizen reports that as part of its preparation for next year’s Dakar, four Toyota GR Hilux Evo’s have been entered for the finale taking place near Thabazimbi in the Northern Cape.
Friday’s route covers 100km, followed by the main race on Saturday over 300km in reported rocky and dusty terrain.
Heading into the event, Saood Variawa and French co-driver Francois Cazalet sit three points off the title after finishing second in the weather-shortened Vryheid 400 last month by 53 seconds.
Alongside them will be Guy Botterill and Spanish navigator Oriol Mena, who endured a frustrating time in Vryheid as well as the preceding Outeniqua 400 in the Langkloof.
Although out of title contention, the pair will be hoping for a good result to cement their fourth place in the overall standings.
Competing in the third GR Hilux Evo are the Portuguese pair of João Ferreira and Filipe Palmeiro, who last competed in May during the South African Rally, round two of the national series and the third of the World Rally-Raid Championship.
Completing the line-up in their second outing will be Sa’aad Variawa, younger brother of Saood, and Zaheer Bodhanya, who co-drove with the siblings’ father and Toyota Gazoo Racing team principal, Shameer, over two decades ago.
The route
For the finale, the Bushveld 400 route comprises two sections on Friday, a 22km prologue, and a longer 87km that serves as stage 1.
Saturday’s main event then takes place over 184km in the morning, before a repeat of the latter stage over the same 87km distance.
“This is the final push of the season, and we’re throwing everything at it. The Bushveld 400 is always tough – the terrain, the weather, the pressure – but the whole team is ready. We want to finish this season the way we’ve raced it: strong, determined and pushing for the top step,” the elder Variawa said.
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