UPINGTON, SOUTH AFRICA – With the final pre-Dakar 2017 test session now done and dusted, Toyota Gazoo Racing SA have announced a two-car line-up for the iconic race, which takes place during the first two weeks of next year. The team now features two former Dakar winners, in the form of Giniel de Villiers, partnered with Dirk von Zitzewitz; and Nasser Al Attiyah, with Matthieu Baumel beside him.

De Villiers/Von Zitzewitz have campaigned the Toyota Hilux in Dakar since 2012, achieving podium finishes in all but one attempt so far. The pair have proven themselves as highly accomplished and experienced campaigners, having won the event together in 2009. Furthermore, De Villiers has one of the highest start-to-podium ratios in the history of the Dakar, and has missed out on a Top 10 finish only once since he first tackled the race in 2003.

Al Attiyah and Baumel may be new to the Toyota Gazoo Racing SA team, but they’re certainly no strangers to the Toyota Hilux. The pair fielded a South-African built Toyota Hilux in this year’s FIA Cross-Country World Cup, winning each round they entered, and taking the championship in the process. In addition, they also won the grueling Rally of Morocco in October 2016, proving not only that they’re a crew to be reckoned with, but also that the Toyota Hilux is capable of performing well on any stage.

Also new for 2017 is a partnership with Red Bull. The Austrian energy drink manufacturer and media brand already supports both De Villiers and Al Attiyah, and a tie-up for the 2017 Dakar seemed a natural fit.

“We’re pleased to be able to partner with Red Bull for 2017,” says Toyota SA Motors’ Glenn Crompton, Vice President: Marketing. “As a global media and communications brand, Red Bull is the perfect match for our all-star line-up.”

The crews will tackle Dakar 2017 with the proven four-wheel-drive version of the Toyota Hilux. This is the same version of the car that brought Al Attiyah/Baumel glory in the FIA’s World Cup, though numerous developments and performance advances will ensure that it is capable of performing at the very highest levels.

“We were all very excited about the arrival of the Toyota Hilux Evo, which we unveiled earlier this year,” says Toyota Gazoo Racing SA Team Principal, Glyn Hall. “However, despite the promising performance of the car, we’ve found significantly more performance in the four-wheel-drive during parallel testing. This, together with Nasser and Matthieu’s victories abroad, have made it clear to us that the four-wheel-drive is more than capable of taking on the very best cars and drivers in the world.”

The four-wheel-drive Toyota Hilux has also proven to be an extremely reliable race vehicle in the past, and with a bigger air restrictor – due to the average altitude of Dakar 2017 being above 2,000 metres – the car is sure to perform well.

“We’re also in the fortunate position to have two of the most experienced crews in the world in our team this year,” continued Hall. “Giniel and Dirk have consistently performed well on the Dakar, and Nasser and Matthieu have just won the FIA’s World Cup – and that’s in addition to winning the Dakar in 2011 and 2015. So we have the best of the best, driving our proven four-wheel-drive Toyota Hilux for Dakar 2017.”

Unfortunately, South African cross-country champion Leeroy Poulter, who finished fifth during Dakar 2016, won’t be racing at Dakar 2017. The newly crowned SA cross-country and rally champion had to undergo surgery recently, and while he has been given a clean bill of health, he is still recovering.

The team conducted their final test session, in preparation for Dakar 2017, at a location near Upington in the Northern Cape this week. The rough and sandy terrain of the area allowed Toyota Gazoo Racing SA to test the Toyota Hilux in conditions that closely mimic those encountered on many Dakar stages, including rocky sections and soft dune crossings.

“The performance of the Toyota Hilux at this week’s test was highly encouraging,” says Hall. “It was also great to have Nasser and Matthieu here on South African soil, putting the car through its paces, and giving invaluable feedback in preparation for the race.”

Next up for the team is the mammoth task of packing for Dakar, including the cataloguing and meticulous storage of literally thousands of spare parts. These parts will be shipped to South America shortly, in preparation for the start of Dakar 2017 in the Paraguayan capital of Asunción on January 2nd, 2017.

The race, which takes place in Paraguay, Bolivia and Argentina, concludes in the Argentine capital of Buenos Aires on January 14th, 2017. In between lie nearly 10,000 km of travel for the teams, and in the end, just one winner of the most grueling motor race in the world.

Toyota Gazoo Racing SA acknowledges its sponsors and specialist official supplier and technical partners.

Toyota continues to enjoy a mutually beneficial relationship with Red Bull, Duxbury Netgear, Innovation Group, Toyota Financial Services and SAA Cargo.

Also Hallspeed, TFM, SKF, Spanjaard, Robor, OMP, NGK, Donaldson, Mastercraft, Edgecam, Supreme Springs, Shatterprufe, Smith’s Manufacturing, TRD, Peritus Forex, 4×4 Mega World, First National Battery, SA Sport & Cargo and Overdrive Racing.

DAKAR 2017: CREW LINE-UP

Toyota Gazoo Racing SA is pleased to announce the team that will be competing at Dakar 2017, which starts in the Paraguayan capital of Ascension on January 2nd, 2017. The team will campaign two factory-prepared Toyota Hilux race vehicles, and includes two former winners of the world’s most grueling automotive event.

Joining the team for 2017 is double former Dakar winner, and top-ranked World Champion driver, Nasser Al Attiyah. Qatari Al Attiyah, who last won the event with MINI in 2015, will be partnered by long-standing navigator Matthieu Baumel (France).

“We are very excited about Nasser and Matthieu joining our team,” says Toyota SA Motors’ Glenn Crompton, Vice-President, Marketing. “The pair have proven themselves over the last number of years, winning not only Dakar, but also every round of the FIA’s Cross-Country World Cup they competed in. They also won that championship in 2015, and have notched up five consecutive victories on this year’s championship behind the wheel of one of our Toyota Hilux race vehicles – sealing the 2016 championship in the process.”

Toyota stalwart Giniel de Villiers, who won the event in 2009, will again be partnered by German navigator Dirk von Zitzewitz. The pair have campaigned the locally built and developed Toyota Hilux in the race since 2012, achieving a third place (2012), second place (2013), fourth place (2014), second again in 2015 and third again in 2016.

“Both Giniel and Dirk are fired up to win again. They’ve got an impeccable record on the Dakar, but both are hungry to stand on the top step of the podium again,” says Toyota Gazoo Racing SA Team Principal, Glyn Hall.

Hall is positive that Al Attiyah’s influence will benefit the entire team: “Not only is Nasser a very popular driver with a truly massive global following, but he is also exceptionally fast.”

With the new race regulations, that allow for a slightly larger 38 mm restrictor in the Toyota Hilux, as well as the addition of Al Attiyah/Baumel to the team, Hall has every reason to be upbeat about Dakar 2017.

“Winning the Dakar isn’t easy,” concluded Hall, “there are a lot of people trying really hard. But winning Dakar requires more than just fast drivers, good navigators and a highly reliable car. We know we’ve got all of those elements, but you also need lady luck to smile over you. Who knows, maybe 2017 is our year?”

CAR 1: Race number 301

Driver – Nasser Al Attiyah (Qatar)

Navigator – Matthieu Baumel (France)

CAR 2: Race number 302

Driver – Giniel de Villiers (RSA)

Navigator – Dirk von Zitzewitz (Germany)

 

THE RACE: DAKAR AND TOYOTA

The Dakar Rally is one of the greatest races on earth. It all started in 1977, when the founder of the race, Frenchman Thierry Sabine, got lost in the Ténéré Desert while competing in the Abidjan-Nice Rally. By the following year, the Paris-Dakar was born, and 182 vehicles competed in the first event.

Through the years, the Paris-Dakar grew in popularity, and became the backdrop against which many legends were painted. While the race initially started in Paris, the organisers later changed to route to start at various places in Europe. The finish also varied, and by far the most audacious version of the rally was the 1992 Paris-Le Cap – starting in Paris and ending in Cape Town, South Africa.

Fears of a terrorist attack saw the 2008 race, scheduled between Lisbon and Dakar, cancelled. As a result of unrest in north Africa, the organisers sought a new location for the Dakar, and chose South America as its new host. The first South American edition took place in 2009, and was won by South Africa’s Giniel de Villiers and German Navigator, Dirk von Zitzewitz.

Since the move to South America, Toyota has been a key competitor in the world’s toughest motorsport event. During the 2016 race, 24 Toyota Hilux vehicles took part in the Dakar – more than any other brand. By far the majority of them were designed at Toyota’s Hallspeed facility near the famous Kyalami Racetrack, and many of them were built at the same facility.

For the 2016 edition of the Dakar, Toyota was appointed as the official vehicle supplier to the race. This meant that all the supporting staff and crew of the organisation also be drove Toyota products – and agreement that continues with Dakar 2017.

The lure of the Dakar is too strong for many to resist, and winning the legendary event elevates a crew to a stage shared by only a handful of men (and even fewer women). With that said, Germany’s Jutta Kleinschmidt became the first, and so far, the only woman, to win the Dakar in 2001.

The Dakar Rally is an amazing race, requiring unparalleled infrastructure. The overnight camps, known as bivouacs vary in size between 3 km2 and 5 km2, depending on the location. This mobile HQ is erected fresh for each stage of the rally, and houses car wash facilities, race HQ, rest areas, showers and toilets, as well as an impressive kitchen that serves up to 10,000 meals per day.

But in the end all of the supporting staff and infrastructure pale into insignificance in the face of the race itself. Twelve stages, nearly 10,000 km of driving – and in the end, just one winner.

Hino, the truck division of Toyota, has also made its mark in the Dakar Rally.

The Truck class (T4), first run as a separate category in 1980, is made up of vehicles weighing more than 3,500 kg. Trucks participating in the competition are subdivided into “Series Production” trucks (T4.1) and “Modified” trucks (T4.2), whilst Group T4.3 (formerly known as T5) trucks are rally support trucks, meaning they travel from bivouac to bivouac to support the competition vehicles. These were introduced to the rally in 1998.

Hino again claimed class honours in the Under 10-litre truck class of the 2016 Dakar.

This marked the 25th year Hino has entered a vehicle in the race.

 

THE ROUTE: PARAGUAY, BOLIVIA AND ARGENTINA

For the 2017 edition of the world’s toughest automotive event, the route features stages in Paraguay, Bolivia and Argentina. The 2017 Dakar Rally gets under way with the traditional ceremonial start in the Paraguayan capital of Asuncion, on January 2nd. Twelve stages follow, including a stint in Bolivia, before the action draws to a close in the Argentine capital of Buenos Aires on January 14th.

After the start in Asunción, the Dakar convoy will immediately cross the border to Argentina, where Stage 1 will see the crews arrive at the bivouac in the northern town of Resistencia. Two more stages follow in Argentina, before the Dakar crosses into Bolivia for three tough stages, as well as the rest day. One of the Bolivian stages will be run as a marathon (see below), with no service allowed overnight, except for whatever work the driver and navigator can complete on their own.

After the marathon stage, the Dakar Rally crosses the border back into Argentina, for a series of stages that include the daunting dunes at Fiambala. With the dunes behind them, the crews will head from San Juan to Buenos Aires via Río Cuarto – three countries, 12 stages, one rest day and, eventually, just one winner.

31/12 and 01/01: Administrative and technical checks, Asunción (Paraguay)

02/01: Start podium in Paraguay, stage to Resistencia (Argentina)

03/01: Resistencia – San Miguel de Tucuman

04/01: San Miguel de Tucuman – San Salvador de Jujuy

05/01: San Salvador – Tupiza (into Bolivia)

06/01: Tupiza – Oruro

07/01: Oruro – La Paz

08/01: La Paz Rest Day

09/01: La Paz – Uyuni (Marathon Stage)

10/01: Uyuni – Salta (into Argentina)

11/01: Salta – Chilecito

12/01: Chilecito – San Juan

13/01: San Juan – Río Cuarto

14/01: Río Cuarto – Buenos Aires

 

FOLLOWING THE 2017 DAKAR RALLY

Short of attending the 2017 Dakar Rally, there are a number of exciting ways to be part of the action. In addition to the daily TV broadcasts on SuperSport, media and fans can also use the following channels to stay up to date with the race:

www.toyota.co.za – links to Toyota’s motorsport website, where information on the team will be updated daily

www.twitter.com (@toyotasa) – blow-by-blow updates on the team throughout the race

www.facebook.com/toyotasouthafrica – daily updates on the fortunes of the team throughout the race

Primedia:

– Daily morning updates by Derek Alberts on 947, 702, KFM and Cape Talk

– Daily articles on EWN

In addition to these websites, the Dakar Rally also has its own app for both iOS and Android devices, which can be downloaded free of charge from either iTunes or the Google Play Store.

 

Hashtags to look out for and use include:

#toyotaSAracing – Toyota-specific updates

#gazooracingSA – All team-related updates

#dakar2017SA – General updates on South Africans taking part in Dakar 2017

Twitter Handles include:

@therealginiel – Giniel de Villiers

@AlAttiyahN – Nasser Al Attiyah

@rallyedakar – Dirk von Zitzewitz

@matthieubaumel – Matthieu Baumel

@dakar – Dakar Rally

In addition to the social media feeds and website, the Toyota Gazoo Racing SA team will also distribute daily press information and images via Quickpic in South Africa at www.quickpic.co.za

General media enquiries can be directed to Toyota SA Motors:

Clynton Yon, Senior Manager: Communications

+27 11 809-2810

cyon@tsb.toyota.co.za

@ToyotaCyon