Consolidation for TGR's Seth and Dennis on Abu Dhabi Stage 4

TOYOTA GAZOO Racing's Seth Quintero and Dennis Zenz were the first car to start Stage 4 of the 2024 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, following their victory on the previous stage. As ever, opening the road tempered their pace somewhat, but despite this added challenge, the pair brought their GR DKR Hilux EVO T1U home to the finish in the 4th-fastest time of the day. They relinquished 10min 31sec to the stage winners in the process, but are now cemented in 2nd place on the overall standings with one stage left in the event.

It was a case of déjà vu for Seth and Dennis, who initially lost time in this year's race when they had to open the first stage of the rally. This put them on the back foot slightly, though the TGR crew continuously fought back. Their tenacity was rewarded with victory on Stage 3 - yet that forced them to open the road again on Stage 4.

The pair forged ahead, even dealing with a tricky section of navigation, where there was a deviation from the route taken by the motorbikes earlier in the day. At the same time, the terrain proved tough, with many sharp drops that caught out some of the experienced crews. With this in mind, the GR DKR Hilux pairing decided to consolidate their position in the overall standings, rather than take unnecessary risks with just one stage to go.

At the same time, Toyota privateer Yazeed Al Rajhi and his co-driver, Timo Gottschalk, posted the second fastest time on Stage 4, trailing the stage winners by just 8min 21sec. As a result, there are now two Toyota Hiluxes in the Top 3 of the race, with Seth/Dennis 9min 21sec adrift; and Yazeed/Timo 12min 07sec from the lead.

The points for the World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC), of which the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge is Round 2, will only be finalised after the fifth stage. However, a provisional summary shows Seth Quintero earning 10 points for the race to date, thanks to his solid stage finishes, including one stage win. At the same time, the 5 driver points earned by Lucas Moraes before his withdrawal on Stage 3 are also retained as the FIA changed the regulations for 2024 to allow crews to keep their stage points even if they don't complete the entire rally. The points for positions in the overall ranking will only be awarded after the event. As it stands, TGR as a manufacturer is already earning 24 points from the race, which will put the team at the head of the standings after Round 2.

The final stage of the race will take the rally from the bivouac at Mezaira'a to Abu Dhabi for the finish. A liaison of 81km will take the crews from the bivouac to the start, where they will take on a timed section of 206 km comprised of dunes and sandy tracks. The final liaison of the race is 137 km long, after which the rally will draw to a close.

QUOTES:

Alain Dujardyn, W2RC Team Principal: 

"This rally is really, really a tough one. For sure yesterday was an unbelievable roller coaster of emotions, highs and lows. So, I would say today was a good day, with only a high because at the end of the day this was the second time Seth had to open the stage. He did a wonderful job and he narrowly missed out on a position on the podium. Of course, Nasser caught up on the overall lead, but we are still at P2 and that's exactly where we would like to finish tomorrow."

Seth Quintero: 

"Today's stage was a good one for us, I would say. The first 120-130 kilometres we were by ourselves and we saw the other guys were coming. They we're all stacked up and just trying to keep a clean day as it was really dangerous out there today and I wanted to bring the car back safely. About 60 kilometres go to the finish, the guys got to me and we had a really fun fight with Chicherit, Yazeed and Nasser, and learned a lot from them. But yeah, a long day in the dunes today, but we're looking good in the overall standings. We'll see how tomorrow goes."

Dennis Zenz: 

" Well, today was day four, and it was the second time we had to open the stage. We had a little slowdown in the prologue, and opened stage one. Today, we had to open Stage 4. But this time it was a bit more challenging, as we had checkpoints within the dunes, which we didn't have before. But I have to say, we really enjoyed it, we did a good job today. We kept in front for 180 km, but then the big guys came from behind and closed the gap. I really enjoyed it, it was good."

2024 ABU DHABI DESERT CHALLENGE - STAGE 4

2024 ABU DHABI DESERT CHALLENGE - STANDINGS AFTER STAGE 4

WORLD RALLY-RAID RESULTS AFTER ADDC STAGE 4

Partners

Red Bull has established itself as the premiere supporter of extreme sports and athletes, and as such fits perfectly with TOYOTA GAZOO Racing's Dakar and W2RC efforts. The Austrian energy drink manufacturer has partnered with TGR over numerous years, and the involvement bore fruit when the team won a second Dakar title in January 2022, and a third in 2023.

SpeedMax is a CantuStore's private label, which is the largest omnichannel platform and leader in tire replacement market in Brazil. SpeedMax promotes maximum performance through high-performance tires that suit all types of vehicles, from passenger cars to trucks and tractors, as well as inner tubes and truck wheels.