Toyota Hilux v2 / Oct 2025 / In-Image Max

A gruelling rally awaits the team in Saudi Arabia.

The Dakar Rally isn’t just a race – it’s an odyssey. Over nearly 8,000 gruelling kilometres of Saudi Arabia’s toughest terrain, competitors will be pushed to their limits, navigating dunes, rocks and relentless desert landscapes in the fight to make it to the finish line. For Toyota Gazoo Racing South Africa (TGRSA), Dakar 2025 marks not just another chapter in their storied journey, but also a showcase of the team’s dominance, bolstered by their latest success in the South African Rally-Raid Championship (SARRC).

It’s a route that demands everything... but we have the right people and the right machine to meet this challenge head-on.

Shameer Variawa, Team Principal of TGRSA

Fresh off a 1-2-3 finish in the 2024 SARRC season, TGRSA’s four crews are ready to take on the world’s toughest motorsport challenge. But this year the stakes are higher than ever. The Dakar route has been described as ‘brutal but breathtaking’, with 12 punishing stages, over 5,000km of timed specials, and challenges like the 48-hour Chrono Stage and the dreaded Marathon Stage, where crews must fend for themselves without external support. This is a Dakar designed to break the brave and test the tenacious.

Henk Lategan, fresh from securing his fourth consecutive SARRC title with navigator Brett Cummings, sums it up perfectly: ‘The Dakar Rally has always been tough, but this year’s route is on another level. It’s not just a test of speed, but also endurance, patience and skill. And the Empty Quarter? That’s where legends are made.’

The 2025 Dakar Rally kicks off in the oasis city of Bisha on 3 January with a short prologue designed to set the tone for what lies ahead. From there, competitors dive headfirst into Stage 1, a 412km timed special looping back to Bisha, offering fast tracks and technical navigation.

But it’s Stage 2, the 48-hour Chrono Stage, that’s bound to separate contenders from survivors. Covering over 960km across two days, this endurance challenge demands flawless execution. And just as crews catch their breath, the Marathon Stage arrives. With no assistance allowed and miles of untouched dunes to cross, it’s a true test of human and mechanical resilience.

As the rally progresses, the journey takes participants through a dazzling array of landscapes – from the rugged mountains of Al Henakiyah to the vast sands of Alula and Hail. In the second week, the route plunges into the Empty Quarter, a foreboding expanse of towering dunes and shifting sands that will push even the best to their limits. The rally ends on 17 January in Shubaytah, where the survivors will celebrate their hard-fought journey.

‘It’s a route that demands everything from a competitor,’ says Shameer Variawa, Team Principal of TGRSA. ‘But we have the right people, and we have the right machine to meet this challenge head-on.’

At the heart of TGRSA’s Dakar success is the GR IMT Hilux Evo, a car purpose-built to conquer the world’s harshest conditions. Powered by a 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6 engine, the Hilux produces 264kW and 620 Nm, delivering blistering performance over dunes, rocks and desert plains. Its advanced suspension system offers 350mm of travel, while a lightweight tubular chassis and 540-litre fuel tank ensure it’s as nimble as it is resilient.

‘It’s a car that’s been developed and refined through years of racing,’ says Lategan. ‘Every tweak, every test kilometre is aimed at making it faster, stronger, and more reliable. At Dakar, you need a car you can trust, and for us, that’s the Hilux.’

Leading the charge for TGRSA are reigning SARRC champions Lategan and Cummings (#211). After multiple stage wins at Dakar, Lategan is determined to push for his first overall podium, saying, ‘We’ve had a strong season and we’re ready to take that momentum into Dakar. It’s time to make it count.’