TOYOTA GAZOO Racing wins W2RC title
With a second place in the 2022 Rally Andalusia, Nasser and Mathieu secured the inaugural W2RC title and crown TOYOTA GAZOO Racing as winning W2RC manufacturer.
- 2nd overall in 2022 Rally Andalusia for Nasser and Mathieu
- Victory on final stage of Rally Andalusia for Nasser and Mathieu
- Nasser and Mathieu secure inaugural W2RC title
- TOYOTA GAZOO Racing crowned as winning W2RC manufacturer
A tough battle over the closing stage of the 2022 Rally Andalusia saw TOYOTA GAZOO Racing’s Nasser Al-Attiyah and co-driver Mathieu Baumel push their Dakar-winning GR DKR Hilux T1+ to the maximum, aiming for overall victory on the fourth and final event of the inaugural World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC). In the end, they had to settle for second overall, trailing the winners by just 6 seconds after three competitive stages. Even so, they secured enough W2RC points to claim the overall title, in a season that started with victory at the 2022 edition of the Dakar Rally.
The final stage of the rally in Spain, which again started and finished near the city of Dos Hermanas, comprised only 100 km of timed stage, but despite the relatively short distance, the stage proved a stern challenge for the crews. In the end, the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing crew pushed hard, winning the final stage by 22 seconds. This left them just 6 seconds behind the overall rally winners after three competitive stages.
Poor weather forced the organisers of the 2022 Rally Andalusia to cancel Stage 2 of the event, but the three remaining stages offered ample opportunity for the top drivers and co-drivers in the world to battle it out. In the end, TGR’s Nasser and Mathieu had to admit defeat in the overall standings for the event, but they recorded enough W2RC points to take the overall title.
In addition to Nasser securing the W2RC Drivers’ title by a margin of 19 points; Mathieu also won the Co-drivers’ title by the same margin. In the Manufacturers’ Championship, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing secured 163 points, resulting in a winning margin of 28 points.
The team will now shift its focus to the 2023 Dakar Rally, starting with a test session in an area similar to the terrain they expect in Saudi Arabia early next year. Thus far, the GR DKR Hilux T1+ has completed all four rounds of the 2022 W2RC without any technical problems, and the team will be aiming to build on this reliability during its final preparations for next year’s Dakar.
QUOTES:
Glyn Hall, Team Principal:
“A stunning result today, not only in terms of Rally Andalusia, but also the W2RC title as a whole. We started the season with a win at the Dakar Rally, and managed to make the most of our opportunities throughout the season to win the inaugural World Rally-Raid Championship title. The GR DKR Hilux T1+ has proven itself yet again, and we are extremely proud of everything we’ve achieved this year.”
Nasser Al-Attiyah:
“Today’s final stage was really tough, and we had to concentrate to the very end. We really pushed for the win, but in the end we had to settle for second place by a very small margin. Despite coming second in Spain, we are overjoyed with our performance throughout the season, sealing the title here in Andalusia.”
Mathieu Baumel:
“What a great year for TOYOTA GAZOO Racing! We won the Dakar Rally in January, and went on to secure the very first W2RC title. It wasn’t always easy, and we had to dig deep at times in order to score the points we needed. But here we are at the end of the season, and we’ve won! What a feeling! I’m very proud of myself and Nasser for what we’ve achieved, and grateful to TOYOTA GAZOO Racing for giving us not only the Dakar-winning GR DKR Hilux T1+, but also the necessary support throughout the season. Now, we’ll focus on Dakar 2023!”
STAGE 4 RESULTS:
1. N. AL-ATTIYAH (QAT) / M. BAUMEL (FRA) TOYOTA GAZOO RACING GR DKR Hilux 01:17:15
2. S. LOEB (FRA) / F. LURQUIN (BEL) BAHRAIN RAID XTREME Hunter +00:22
3. G. CHICHERIT (FRA) / A. WINOCQ (FRA) GCK MOTORSPORT Hunter +02:10
4. Y. AL RAJHI (SAU) / D. VON ZITZEWITZ (DEU) OVERDRIVE RACING Hilux +04:28
5. E. VAN LOON (NLD) / S. DELAUNAY (FRA) OVERDRIVE RACING Hilux +06:07
FINAL STANDINGS:
1. S. LOEB (FRA) / F. LURQUIN (BEL) BAHRAIN RAID XTREME Hunter 08:40:35
2. N. AL-ATTIYAH (QAT) / M. BAUMEL (FRA) TOYOTA GAZOO RACING GR DKR Hilux +00:06
3. Y. AL RAJHI (SAU) / D. VON ZITZEWITZ (DEU) OVERDRIVE RACING Hilux +08:26
4. G. CHICHERIT (FRA) / A. WINOCQ (FRA) GCK MOTORSPORT Hunter +15:04
5. G. DE MEVIUS (BEL) / F. CAZALET (FRA) RED BULL JUNIOR TEAM OT3 +27:07
W2RC 2022 FINAL STANDINGS:
DRIVER:
1. N. AL-ATTIYAH (QAT) TOYOTA GAZOO RACING GR DKR Hilux 181
2. S. LOEB (FRA) BAHRAIN RAID XTREME Hunter 164
3. Y. AL RAJHI (SAU) OVERDRIVE RACING Hilux 130
4. J. PRZYGONSKI (POL) X-RAID MINI JCW TEAM MINI 77
5. G. CHICHERIT (FRA) GCK MOTORSPORT Hunter 73
CO-DRIVER:
1. M. Baumel (FRA) TOYOTA GAZOO RACING GR DKR Hilux 168
2. F. Lurquin (BEL) BAHRAIN RAID XTREME Hunter 149
3. D. Von Zitzewitz (DEU) OVERDRIVE RACING Hilux 70
4. T. GOTTSCHALK (DEU) X-RAID MINI JCW TEAM MINI 58
5. A. HARO BRAVO (ESP) BAHRAID RAID XTREME HUNTER 53
MANUFACTURER:
1. TOYOTA GAZOO RACING GR DKR Hilux T1+ 163
2. BAHRAIN RAID XTREME Hunter 135
3. OT3 BY G RALLY TEAM OT3 102
4. X-RAID MINI JCW TEAM MINI 92
5. PH-SPORT PEUGEOT 58
TGR W2RC & Dakar Team (@tgr_w2rc) • Instagram photos and videos