For the Dakar 2022, Shameer Variawa and Danie Stassen started out on roads that cannot be driven by just any vehicle. This is their first appearance at the challenging race.
Variawa as the driver and Stassen as co-driver are competing with the all-new Toyota GR DKR Hilux T1+ for Toyota Gazoo Racing and are representing South Africa in the 4×4 petrol and diesel car class.
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The competitors of this year’s Dakar race arrived in Jeddah and drove to Ha’il to compete in the qualifying stage, stage 1A, on Saturday January 1. A short 19-kilometre special stage separated two parts of the 595-kilometre route from Jeddah to Ha’il to determine the starting order of Sunday January 2’s first real day of racing.
According to the Dakar 2022 website, Variawa and Stassen came in 15th from 88 teams in the special 19-kilometre race with a time of 12 minutes and 27 seconds, being one minute and 31 seconds behind the lead drivers.
The official start of the race, stage 1B, a 333-kilometre circle route from Ha’il and back, got the drivers excited for the big race on January 2. Variawa and Stassen finished the stage in 04:52.14 (01:21.21 behind lead) and achieved position 18, despite facing electrical problems that slowed them down along with a 15-minute penalty.
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Stage 2, a 339-kilometre route from Ha’il to Al Qaisumah, was attempted today. The team kept their stage rank with a time of 04:13.21, 48 minutes and 21 seconds behind the lead.
The team is ranked 18th in the general rankings after three days of racing with a combined time of 09:05.35, only 02:06.14 behind the lead with 11 days of racing to go.
Lowvelder will keep you updated on Variawa and Stassen’s progress.
