Second consecutive DAKAR victory for TOYOTA GAZOO Racing
- 1st overall for Nasser Al-Attiyah and Mathieu Baumel
- 4th overall for Giniel de Villiers and Dennis Murphy
- 5th overall for Henk Lategan and Brett Cummings
- 4 Toyota Hilux T1+ in Top 5
Qatar’s Nasser Al-Attiyah and his French co-driver, Mathieu Baumel, successfully defended the Dakar title they won for TOYOTA GAZOO Racing (TGR) in 2022, when they brought their GR DKR Hilux T1+ over the finish line of the final stage of Dakar 2023 on 15 January. The pair lost 5min 41sec to the stage winners, but that hardly mattered, as they sealed the overall victory with a winning margin of 1hr 20min 49sec.
The final stage of Dakar 2023 was a 136km-long test that started from the bivouac at Al-Hofuf. Competitors had to complete a short liaison of 167km before taking on Stage 14, which was then followed by a final liaison of 100km to the finish podium in the coastal city of Dammam.
For Nasser, this was his fifth win in the Dakar Rally, while Mathieu’s tally is now four victories. The pair have won three times for Toyota, with the latest victories coming in a back-to-back display of quality, durability and reliability for the Japanese manufacturer. The pair took over the lead of the event on Stage 2, and never relinquished that position.
Giniel de Villiers, who completed his twentieth consecutive Dakar Rally when he crossed the finish line near Dammam, ended the rally in 4th place in the overall standings. This result brings his total number of Top 5 finishes to 15, including one victory in 2009. The South African has only finished outside the Top 10 on one occasion, and his performance in the 2023 Dakar Rally underscores the toughness and tenacity of one of the Dakar Rally’s true veteran racers. Together with co-driver Dennis Murphy, Giniel finished this year’s 45th edition of the rally 2hr 31min 12sec in arrears.
Dakar 2023 will long be remembered by Henk Lategan and co-driver Brett Cummings as a race that could have turned out very differently for them. They moved as high as 2nd place in the overall standings, before two setbacks pushed them down the order. The pair showed great pace throughout the rally, and will be hoping for a truer reflection of their speed in future editions. Even so, they finished in 5th place overall, less than 5min behind their teammates in fourth.
Toyota dominated the Dakar 2023 results, with the works TGR crews finishing 1st, 4th and 5th. A privately entered Toyota Hilux T1+ in the hands of the young Brazilian, Lucas Moraes, added to the Japanese manufacturer’s tally, by finishing in third place overall. This was Lucas’ first attempt at the Dakar Rally, though he had an experienced co-driver in the form of Timo Gottschalk beside him in the car.
In terms of the 2023 World Rally-Raid Championship, of which the Dakar Rally was the opening round, Nasser and Mathieu amassed a total of 85 points. This means they trail the log leaders by just two points after Round 1 of the five-round championship. Toyota is in 2nd place in the Manufacturers’ championship, just a single point behind the leaders. The next race is the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, which takes place during the last week of February.
QUOTES:
Glyn Hall, TGR Dakar Team Principal: “What a day for our entire team! Winning Dakar is something memorable, but winning the world’s toughest race twice in a row is simply extraordinary. My sincere thanks to every member of our team, every one of our sponsors and, of course, our drivers and co-drivers, who delivered a stunning result. I’m really proud of our GR DKR Hilux T1+, which has proven yet again that it is reliable and durable enough to not only complete the world’s roughest automotive race, but to do so two years in a row.”
Alain Dujardyn, TGR W2RC Team Principal: “I would like to start by thanking all three our race crews wholeheartedly. To Nasser and Mathieu; Giniel and Dennis; and Henk and Brett, my sincere thanks for your relentless efforts from the opening stage. Your dedication to defending our title ensured that the Dakar trophy has come to TOYOTA GAZOO Racing once again. Today’s Dakar Rally victory was a massive step in our W2RC journey. The points for overall victory cannot be underestimated, especially given the fierceness of this championship. As with the Dakar itself, we’re looking to defend our title in the W2RC, and while we leave from Saudi Arabia trailing our nearest competitors by a small margin, we are confident that we will be able to put up a good fight during the remainder of the year.”
Nasser Al-Attiyah: “This in amazing feeling! I have to thank so many people, starting with every member of our team. It was a tough two weeks, but to be able to come back and defend our title is fantastic! I’m really proud of our GR DKR Hilux T1+, and to win the race three times with TOYOTA GAZOO Racing is truly something special.”
Giniel de Villiers: “The Dakar is always full of challenges, and we certainly had our share of challenges this year. Of course, it could’ve been better for us, but then many competitors can probably say the same. It would have been nice to be on the podium, but overall, as a manufacturer, Toyota has every reason to be proud. I think this result has just proven the reliability of the Hilux once again, and we again managed to showcase this amazing car in Saudi Arabia this year.”
Henk Lategan: “Dakar 2023 has been a rollercoaster for us. It has been a tough two weeks for us, with some extremely good days; but also some disappointing ones. It does feel good to be in the Top 5 after such a tough Dakar, and I think they’ve thrown everything at us this year. With that in mind, it feels fantastic to be at the end of the race, and while we’ll always wonder what might have been, we are very happy to bring the car home in a good position.”
DAKAR 2023: Stage 14 Results
POS. | N° | CREW | TEAM | TIME | VARIATION |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 206 | (FRA) GUERLAIN CHICHERIT (FRA) ALEX WINOCQ | GCK MOTORSPORT | 01H 09' 24'' | |
2 | 211 | (SWE) MATTIAS EKSTROM (SWE) EMIL BERGKVIST | TEAM AUDI SPORT | 01H 11' 00'' | + 00H 01' 36'' |
3 | 212 | (ARG) SEBASTIAN HALPERN (ARG) BERNARDO GRAUE | X-RAID MINI JCW TEAM | 01H 11' 17'' | + 00H 01' 53'' |
4 | 203 | (POL) JAKUB PRZYGONSKI (ESP) ARMAND MONLEON | X-RAID MINI JCW TEAM | 01H 12' 32'' | + 00H 03' 08'' |
5 | 217 | (ZAF) HENK LATEGAN (ZAF) BRETT CUMMINGS | TOYOTA GAZOO RACING GR DKR HILUX T1+ | 01H 13' 08'' | + 00H 03' 44'' |
6 | 201 | (FRA) SEBASTIEN LOEB (BEL) FABIAN LURQUIN | BAHRAIN RAID XTREME | 01H 14' 12'' | + 00H 04' 48'' |
7 | 202 | (SAU) YAZEED AL RAJHI (DEU) DIRK VON ZITZEWITZ | OVERDRIVE RACING | 01H 14' 32'' | + 00H 05' 08'' |
8 | 200 | (QAT) NASSER AL-ATTIYAH (FRA) MATHIEU BAUMEL | TOYOTA GAZOO RACING GR DKR HILUX T1+ | 01H 15' 05'' | + 00H 05' 41'' |
9 | 205 | (ZAF) GINIEL DE VILLIERS (ZAF) DENNIS MURPHY | TOYOTA GAZOO RACING GR DKR HILUX T1+ | 01H 15' 33'' | + 00H 06' 09'' |
10 | 242 | (ESP) CARLOS CHECA (ESP) MARC SOLA TERRADELLAS | ASTARA TEAM | 01H 15' 42'' | + 00H 06' 18'' |
DAKAR 2023: Final Standings
POS. | N° | CREW | TEAM | TIME | VARIATION |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 200 | (QAT) NASSER AL-ATTIYAH (FRA) MATHIEU BAUMEL | TOYOTA GAZOO RACING GR DKR HILUX T1+ | 45H 03' 15'' | |
2 | 201 | (FRA) SEBASTIEN LOEB (BEL) FABIAN LURQUIN | BAHRAIN RAID XTREME | 46H 24' 04'' | + 01H 20' 49'' |
3 | 230 | (BRA) LUCAS MORAES (DEU) TIMO GOTTSCHALK | OVERDRIVE RACING | 46H 41' 46'' | + 01H 38' 31'' |
4 | 205 | (ZAF) GINIEL DE VILLIERS (ZAF) DENNIS MURPHY | TOYOTA GAZOO RACING GR DKR HILUX T1+ | 47H 34' 27'' | + 02H 31' 12'' |
5 | 217 | (ZAF) HENK LATEGAN (ZAF) BRETT CUMMINGS | TOYOTA GAZOO RACING GR DKR HILUX T1+ | 47H 39' 38'' | + 02H 36' 23'' |
6 | 210 | (CZE) MARTIN PROKOP (CZE) VIKTOR CHYTKA | ORLEN BENZINA TEAM | 48H 43' 59'' | + 03H 40' 44'' |
7 | 220 | (ARG) JUAN CRUZ YACOPINI (ESP) DANIEL OLIVERAS CARRERAS | OVERDRIVE RACING | 49H 30' 24'' | + 04H 27' 09'' |
8 | 224 | (CHN) WEI HAN (CHN) MA LI | HANWEI MOTORSPORT TEAM | 49H 32' 36'' | + 04H 29' 21'' |
9 | 212 | (ARG) SEBASTIAN HALPERN (ARG) BERNARDO GRAUE | X-RAID MINI JCW TEAM | 49H 45' 53'' | + 04H 42' 38'' |
10 | 206 | (FRA) GUERLAIN CHICHERIT (FRA) ALEX WINOCQ | GCK MOTORSPORT | 50H 25' 25'' | + 05H 22' 10'' |
W2RC: Driver Standings after Dakar 2023
1. S. Loeb, Bahrain Raid Extreme - 87
2. N. Al-Attiyah, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing - 85
3. G. Chicherit, Prodrive - 49
4. M. Ekstrom, Team Audi Sport - 37
5. M. Prokop, Orlen Benzina Team - 31
W2RC: Manufacturer Standings after Dakar 2023
1. Bahrain Raid Xtreme - 66
2. TOYOTA GAZOO Racing - 65
3. X-Raid MINI JCW Team - 50
4. BAIC ORV - 40
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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.