Drama for TOYOTA GAZOO Racing W2RC on Stage 7 of the Dakar Rally

TOYOTA GAZOO Racing W2RC (TGR W2RC) maintained its challenge for overall honours in a dramatic and demanding Stage 7 as the gruelling Dakar Rally entered its second week.

After a rest day on Saturday, the battle resumed at high speed on Stage 7 over an 877 km route, which took crews south from Riyadh to Wadi ad Dawasir. The 459 km timed section posed a navigational challenge through the dunes, before rocky surfaces, vegetation and dust further contributed to the difficulties facing crews.

Henk Lategan and Brett Cummings dominated the stage for over 400 km and looked set for a comfortable win to reclaim the overall lead in their #202 DKR GR Hilux. But a damper issue caused by an impact in the final kilometres ended those hopes and they had to drive slowly to the end, finishing in 13th place.

Having started the day second overall, Lategan and Cummings are now fourth. The gap to leaders Nasser Al-Attiyah and Fabian Lurquin (Dacia Sandriders) increased only slightly to seven minutes, however, so their fight for victory continues, with six stages, including more than 2,000 km of competitive action, still to run.

Toby Price and Armand Monleón challenged the top three from the first kilometres and kept up the pace throughout in their #204 DKR GR Hilux. They missed their first podium of the rally by just six seconds, finishing fourth for the second consecutive stage, although they closed in on the overall top 10 and are now 12th.

Seth Quintero and Andrew Short overcame the difficulty of running third on the road to drive in the top six for most of the day. The #203 DKR GR Hilux eventually finished seventh, only 37 seconds away from the podium. However, the pair continued to recover time lost to punctures in the first week and are now 18th overall.

Mattias Ekström and Emil Bergkvist won Stage 7 for Ford Racing ahead of TOYOTA GAZOO Racing South Africa’s Joao Ferreira and Filipe Palmeiro. Mitch Guthrie and Kellon Walch (Ford Racing) were third.

The action continues on Monday with Stage 8, which takes place in the region around Wadi ad Dawasir. At 481 km, Stage 8 includes the longest competitive section of the event, providing a chance for the TGR W2RC crews to gain time and improve their positions.

Quotes:

Henk Lategan: “That wasn’t a good result in the end, but it had been going well. We had strong speed and were pushing nicely, despite having to turn around after going into the wrong canyon. Unfortunately, with 30 km to go we broke the right rear damper going over a small bump and a dip. It didn’t feel like a massive impact, but the damper snapped. That was the stage effectively over for us. We stopped to replace the damper, but it had also damaged a driveshaft, an anti-roll bar and the radiator, so we had to limp to the end. Hopefully we can have some better days and get back in front.”

Seth Quintero: “It was a really good day for us. It was a super-fast stage, which was a bit tricky for navigation, particularly being one of the first cars out there. Considering we started third on stage, I’m really happy to finish in the top 10. The car is performing very well, even with a full load of fuel. It was tough today but tomorrow will be even tougher. We’ll be rested and ready to keep fighting.”

Toby Price: “Stage 7 went well for us. We started fourth and finished fourth again, so not bad. We had to drive through some vegetation at one stage, which caused a bit of panel damage. But the DKR GR Hilux is super strong so it’s all good. We seemed to hit our marks really well today and it is nice to have two consistent stages. That’s been the aim since the beginning. I’m still enjoying every minute in the car and Armand is doing an amazing job, so we’ll be back at it tomorrow.”

Dakar Rally – Provisional Stage 7 result*

Dakar Rally – Provisional standings after Stage 7*

*Correct at time of publication at 9pm local time