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After a commanding 1-2-3 finish in the 2024 South African Rally-Raid Championship (SARRC), TOYOTA GAZOO Racing South Africa (TGRSA) is fully prepared to take on the ultimate off-road test: the 2025 Dakar Rally. This gruelling event, stretching across nearly 8,000 kilometres in Saudi Arabia’s toughest terrain, promises to push teams and their machines to the absolute limit. The Dakar Rally is a test of endurance, not just for the crews but for the vehicles. TGRSA will compete in the latest version of the GR DKR Hilux Evo, designed to handle the most extreme conditions the desert can offer.
Twelve Stages
The 2025 Dakar Rally comprises 12 challenging stages, including more than 5,000 km of timed special stages. The route will take competitors from Bisha to Shubaytah, combining high-speed straights, technical dunes, and treacherous navigation. Two standout challenges include the 48-hour Chrono Stage, a tough test of endurance and mechanical reliability that takes place early in the race, and the notorious Marathon Stage, where crews must complete two days of racing without external assistance from service teams. These stages are expected to shape the outcome of the rally, testing every crew’s resolve to the extreme.
The rally culminates in the vast and unforgiving Empty Quarter, a sea of towering dunes and endless desert, before concluding at the podium in Shubaytah on January 17, 2025. This year’s route has been meticulously planned to increase difficulty, ensuring that only the toughest competitors make it to the finish line.
“This year’s Dakar route promises to be one of the most challenging yet,” said Henk Lategan, reigning SARRC champion and Dakar contender. “With the added complexity of the 48-hour Chrono and the Marathon Stage, we know we’ll need to be at our absolute best from the start.”
It Takes Four
TGRSA will field four crews at Dakar 2025, all aiming to uphold Toyota’s proud legacy at the rally:
Henk Lategan and Brett Cummings (#211): Fresh from their SARRC title win, this duo is focused on carrying their dominant form to Dakar. Henk is returning to the Dakar Rally after missing out on the 2024 event due to injury, and will be reuniting with Cummings, we co-drove for Guy Botterill during this year's Dakar.
Guy Botterill and Dennis Murphy (#205): With a successful season behind them, they are eager to show their pace on the global stage. Guy was the Rookie of the Year during Dakar 2024, and the highest finisher in the works TOYOTA GAZOO Racing team. Endurance racing clearly suits his style, and the man from KZN will be aiming for more of the same.
Giniel de Villiers and Dirk von Zitzewitz (#206): This marks Giniel’s final Dakar with Toyota, reuniting him with the co-driver who helped him secure victory in 2009.
Saood Variawa and Francois Cazalet (#218): The youngest pairing in the line-up, keen to continue their upward trajectory in the rally-raid world, after a successful opening Dakar campaign together in 2024.
A Test of Endurance
“Dakar is the ultimate test of quality, reliability, and durability, and the GR DKR Hilux Evo is a shining example of these values,” said Glenn Crompton, Vice President of Marketing at Toyota South Africa Motors. “This event allows us to demonstrate the capabilities of our vehicles in the most extreme conditions imaginable. Toyota has proven the toughness of the Hilux in these conditions since 2012, making it the most popular car in the Dakar line-up.”
Final Word
"We've set the team a challenge for Dakar 2025," said Leon Theron, Toyota South Africa Motors' Senior Vice-President for Sales and Marketing. "Of course, we'd like to win, but at the very least we expect one of our cars on the podium - and ideally three of the four in the Top 10."
As a huge rally and Dakar fan for decades, I cannot wait for this race to start. It’s going to be exhilarating. Good Luck to TGR SA. Dakar starts 3 Jan 2025.
