13
January
2023
|
18:13
Europe/Amsterdam

Nasser/Mathieu steady at the top; disappointment for Henk/Brett

Summary

- Nasser Al-Attiyah and Mathieu Baumel increase overall lead to 1hr 27min 10sec 
- Giniel de Villiers and Dennis Murphy cements 4th position 
- Significant time loss for Henk Lategan and Brett Cummings after Stage 12 rollover 

While overall race leaders, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing’s Nasser Al-Attiyah and co-driver Mathieu Baumel, continued their run of solid stage results, teammates Henk Lategan and Brett Cummings had a rollover in their GR DKR Hilux T1+ early in Stage 12, causing some damage and losing nearly 30min as a result. This allowed Giniel de Villiers and Dennis Murphy to move up into 4th in the overall standings, with just two stages to go.

Stage 12 of the 2023 Dakar Rally brought the competitors back from the Empty Quarter bivouac to the encampment at Shaybah, where the technical crews were waiting to service and repair the team’s three race cars after the two-day Marathon section of this year’s rally. While the stage was only 185km in length, it proved a stern test nonetheless. 

For overall race leaders, Nasser and Mathieu, completing Stage 12 was another box ticked in their relentless march to the city of Dammam, and the finish of the rally. The pair took the lead in the race during Stage 2, and have not relinquished that position to date. With only two stages remaining, they have the end in sight, but remain respectful of the shifting desert dunes that mark the final days of the event. 

The same dunes caught out teammates Henk and Brett on Stage 12; an early-stage low-speed roll in soft sand, causing damage to the right rear upright and brake disc of their car, and costing them a place in the overall standings. They were eventually classified in 73rd place on the stage, relinquishing 48min 35sec to the stage winners, after losing more time due to the rear brakes not working after the incident. This leaves them in 5th overall, 12min behind Giniel and Dennis; and 2hr 34min 21sec adrift of the lead. 

While Henk and Brett were bitterly disappointed to lose time so close to the end of the rally, both of them commented on the toughness of the GR DKR Hilux T1+, which not only protected them during the accident, but also completed the stage despite the damage sustained earlier. 

Giniel de Villiers and Dennis Murphy, in the #205 car, completed Stage 12 without mishap. The pair went 9th-fastest on the stage, trailing the leaders to the finish by 11min 34sec in the end. With teammates Henk and Brett in trouble, Giniel and Dennis moved up to 4th overall in the rankings, 2hr 22min 21sec behind Nasser and Mathieu. 

In terms of the World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC), Nasser and Mathieu will be aiming to defend the title they won in 2022. However, they are not currently in a position to push for stage wins at the Dakar Rally, and as such have been relinquishing points to their nearest competitors. Even so, they are just 9 points behind the leaders after 12 stages of the Dakar Rally, and will be hoping to reap maximum points if they maintain their current position to the finish. 

The penultimate stage of Dakar 2023 is up next, and this one is set between the bivouac near Shaybah and the border town of Al-Hofuf to the north. At only 154km in length, Stage 13 may sound short, but the competitors expect another tough test, before a slightly easier day leading to the finish in Dammam on January 15th. 

QUOTES: 
Glyn Hall, TGR Dakar Team Principal: “Another solid day for Nasser and Mathieu, who have shown the maturity and restraint of true champions. They brought the car home after the Marathon Stage with barely a mark on it, and very little for the service crews to do. Giniel and Dennis also did what was required, and they’re cemented in fourth place now with two stages to go. Unfortunately, Henk and Brett had a rollover early in the stage, and lost a position in the overall ranking as a result. They are bitterly disappointed, but we still have all three our cars in the Top 5, so we’re very happy at this point.” 

Alain Dujardyn, TGR W2RC Team Principal: “While we are here at the rally to defend our Dakar title from 2022, we also keep a close eye on the FIA World Rally-Raid Championship points. We won the first ever W2RC last year, after quite a close battle. Whilst a potential win at this Dakar is very important to us, it will also amass Championship points, as the Dakar Rally is the first round of the 2023 W2RC. At this point, we cannot expect Nasser and Mathieu to push for stage wins, but leaving from Saudi with another Dakar win, as well as many W2RC points as possible is a major part of our mission for the year ahead. Yet two more stages remain before the final points can be tallied.” 

Nasser Al-Attiyah: “With the Marathon Stage of yesterday and today, the main priority for us was to make sure the car gets back to Shaybah safely. I’m quite happy as it stands, and we remain in control of the race at this point. All that we have to focus on now is to bring the car to the finish, as we still have a comfortable lead. Our Hilux is truly amazing, and we have a lot of pace left in the tank. If we need to push, we can push, but as long as we don’t need to take any risks, we certainly won’t.” 

Giniel de Villiers: “We’re happy to be back, after two tough stages. They weren’t very long, but there were many tricky sandy sections and dunes that could catch you out easily. It was important to get through these two days without problems, and we managed to do that. Now, we have two more days to go, and I fully expect at least one of them to be quite tough as well.” 

Henk Lategan: “We were caught out by a sandy peak, and the car jumped onto its nose and sideways. Then there was a lot of damage to repair, but at least we managed to fix the car and get it through the stage. There were no rear brakes, and it was a bit of a struggle to get it through.” 

DAKAR 2023: Stage 12 Results

POS.

CREWTEAMTIMEVARIATION

1

201

(FRA) SEBASTIEN LOEB

(BEL) FABIAN LURQUIN

BAHRAIN RAID XTREME01H 56' 21'' 

2

211

(SWE) MATTIAS EKSTROM

(SWE) EMIL BERGKVIST

TEAM AUDI SPORT01H 59' 40''+ 00H 03' 19''

3

200

(QAT) NASSER AL-ATTIYAH

(FRA) MATHIEU BAUMEL

TOYOTA GAZOO RACING

GR DKR Hilux T1+

01H 59' 52''+ 00H 03' 31''

4

206

(FRA) GUERLAIN CHICHERIT

(FRA) ALEX WINOCQ

GCK MOTORSPORT02H 03' 34''+ 00H 07' 13''

5

203

(POL) JAKUB PRZYGONSKI

(ESP) ARMAND MONLEON

X-RAID MINI JCW TEAM02H 04' 23''+ 00H 08' 02''

6

209

(FRA) MATHIEU SERRADORI

(FRA) LOIC MINAUDIER

CENTURY RACING FACTORY TEAM02H 05' 20''+ 00H 08' 59''

7

210

(CZE) MARTIN PROKOP

(CZE) VIKTOR CHYTKA

ORLEN BENZINA TEAM02H 06' 19''+ 00H 09' 58''

8

202

(SAU) YAZEED AL RAJHI

(DEU) DIRK VON ZITZEWITZ

OVERDRIVE RACING02H 07' 07''+ 00H 10' 46''

9

205

(ZAF) GINIEL DE VILLIERS

(ZAF) DENNIS MURPHY

TOYOTA GAZOO RACING

GR DKR Hilux T1+

02H 07' 55''+ 00H 11' 34''

10

230

(BRA) LUCAS MORAES

(DEU) TIMO GOTTSCHALK

OVERDRIVE RACING02H 07' 59''+ 00H 11' 38''

73

217

(ZAF) henk lategan

(ZAF) brett cummings

TOYOTA GAZOO RACING

GR DKR Hilux T1+

02H 07' 55''+ 00H 48' 35''

­­

DAKAR 2023: Standings after Stage 12

POS.

CREWTEAMTIMEVARIATION

1

200

(QAT) NASSER AL-ATTIYAH

(FRA) MATHIEU BAUMEL

TOYOTA GAZOO RACING

GR DKR HILUX T1+

41H 16' 25'' 

2

201

(FRA) SEBASTIEN LOEB

(BEL) FABIAN LURQUIN

BAHRAIN RAID XTREME42H 43' 35''+ 01H 27' 10''

3

230

(BRA) LUCAS MORAES

(DEU) TIMO GOTTSCHALK

OVERDRIVE RACING42H 45' 36''+ 01H 29' 11''

4

205

(ZAF) GINIEL DE VILLIERS

(ZAF) DENNIS MURPHY

TOYOTA GAZOO RACING

GR DKR HILUX T1+

43H 38' 46''+ 02H 22' 21''

5

217

(ZAF) HENK LATEGAN

(ZAF) BRETT CUMMINGS

TOYOTA GAZOO RACING

GR DKR HILUX T1+

43H 50' 46''+ 02H 34' 21''

6

210

(CZE) MARTIN PROKOP

(CZE) VIKTOR CHYTKA

ORLEN BENZINA TEAM44H 16' 51''+ 03H 00' 26''

7

216

(ZAF) BRIAN BARAGWANATH

(ZAF) LEONARD CREMER

CENTURY RACING FACTORY TEAM44H 50' 48''+ 03H 34' 23''

8

224

(CHN) WEI HAN

(CHN) MA LI

HANWEI MOTORSPORT TEAM45H 28' 03''+ 04H 11' 38''

9

209

(FRA) MATHIEU SERRADORI

(FRA) LOIC MINAUDIER

CENTURY RACING FACTORY TEAM45H 34' 03''+ 04H 17' 38''

10

220

(ARG) JUAN CRUZ YACOPINI

(ESP) DANIEL OLIVERAS CARRERAS

OVERDRIVE RACING45H 34' 18''+ 04H 17' 53''

W2RC: Standings after Stage 12

1. S. Loeb, Bahrain Raid Extreme, 40

2. N. Al-Attiyah, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing, 31

3. G. Chicherit, Prodrive, 27

4. M. Ekstrom, Team Audi Sport, 17

5. Y. Al Rajhi, Overdrive Racing, 17

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Two of TOYOTA GAZOO Racing W2RC's key sponsors, Red Bull and Eurol, have committed to share in the team's W2RC journey for 2023, supporting Nasser and Mathieu's efforts through TGR. Eurol is the Dutch developer and producer of lubricants, additives, cleaners, technical fluids and specialty products, available in over 90 countries worldwide. Innovation, quality and sustainability are core values of the Eurol brand. Eurol provides TOYOTA GAZOO Racing with the Eurol Specialty Racing line with SYNGIS Technology, for extreme high-performance levels under all circumstances. 

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 Nasser, Mathieu and TGR over numerous years, and the involvement bore fruit when Nasser and Mathieu won a second Dakar title for TGR in January 2022. 

The team is also supported by Jonsson Workwear and USN.