Dakar 2024: Toyota quintet with veteran Giniel de Villiers
Following the change of this year's winner Nasser Al-Attiyah, Toyota is relying on a larger line-up for the Dakar Rally at the beginning of January with Giniel de Villiers as the most experienced driver at the head of a quintet. The South African has now competed in the marathon race 20 times, claiming one overall victory and eight podium finishes. At his side is Dennis Murphy as co-driver in the Toyota GR DKR Hilux Evo T1U.
Lucas Moraes, one of the most successful Dakar rookies, will also be competing: in a privately entered Toyota Hilux, he finished third in the overall standings this year. Together with Spaniard Armand Monleon, who first contested the world's toughest rally on a motorcycle, the Brazilian will once again be fighting for a top spot in 2024. As will the US American Seth Quintero and his German co-driver Dennis Zenz. The Toyota line-up is completed by Saood Variawa and co-driver Francois Cazalet as well as Guy Botterill and Brett Cummings.
The Dakar-Hilux in the new Toyota motorsport color black is ten centimeters wider than its predecessor and has a revised suspension. A new cooling system enables greater redundancy and the position of the air conditioning system has also been optimized. During the 2023 season, the vehicle was extensively tested over almost 30,000 kilometers and constantly refined. Additional tests were carried out in the Kalahari Desert and the final Dakar preparation took place in the Namib Desert.
With a view to the "Dakar Future" project, Toyota Gazoo Racing has also entered into a partnership with Repsol, the fuel specialists supplying biofuel with a 70 percent renewable energy content. These fuels were produced from waste such as used cooking oil.
The Dakar Rally starts on January 5, 2024 with a short prologue near the town of Alula in northern Saudi Arabia. This will be followed by six stages, including a 48-hour marathon stage. The traditional rest day (January 13, 2024) will take place in the Saudi capital Riyadh before six more stages lead back to the north of the country. The rally ends on January 19 in the coastal town of Yanbu. (aum)
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