Toyota hopes to give Giniel de Villiers proper Dakar Rally send-off

Giniel de Villiers is ready to sign off his remarkable Dakar Rally career in style in 2025.

Not only is De Villiers reunited with his long-time German navigator Dirk von Zitzewitz, but Toyota Gazoo Racing South Africa (TGRSA) is also very confident in their Hilux for the dozen stages which covers 5 000km in Saudi Arabia in January.

It is the first time four South African drivers starts the Dakar for TGRSA. Joining De Villiers is local cross-country champion Henk Lategan alongside co-driver Brett Cummings, Guy Botterill and navigator Denis Murphy and Saood Variawa and French co-driver Francois Cazalet. Botterill and Variawa made their debuts this year finishing sixth and 17th respectively, while Lategan was forced to miss out due to a shoulder injury.

Final fling

In stark contrast, De Villiers has lined up for the Dakar Rally more times than the 19-yer-old Variawa has had birthdays. He returns for the 22nd time after finishing his first 21 races, an overall Dakar record for most consecutive finishes. Making De Villiers’ run even more remarkable is the fact that he finished in the top 10 no less than 20 times. This includes eight podiums, with his win in 2009 the highlight.

“There comes a time for everything and I’m very grateful to have been part of some great teams. To end off with a local team like Toyota which I’ve been involved with for the last 13 years and feels like a family just makes sense,” De Villiers said this week during TGRSA’s farewell press conference before heading off to the Middle East mid-December.

While many Dakar Rally competitors have been known for criss-crossing between two and four wheels, De Villiers, an avid mountain biker, dismissed the notion of returning to the desert on a bike on day.

“Definitely won’t happen. I’ll run out of talent very fast!”

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Dakar Rally winners reunited

The 52-year-old is excited to make his swansong with Von Zitzewitz besides him. They were together for 13 years, winning the title together in 2009 he first time the race was staged in South America.
Since their last Dakar together in 2019, De Villiers competed twice with Spaniard Alex Haro reading the notes and the last three alongside Murphy.

“Ja… I thought I’ll get the old girl back,” De Villiers chirped. “It’s a bit like getting your old wife back. We know each other pretty well. When someone doesn’t say something and you know what it means, it generally works.

“I’m really excited to be doing it with Dirk next to me. I think we have a really good package and a strong team this year. The route looks extremely tough and it’s going to be a proper challenge.”

Lategan chomping at the bit

Lategan, a dark horse for top honours at the Dakar Rally this year, is hoping De Villiers can add to his astonishing record next year.

“We’re going to miss the ‘oom’,” said Lategan.

“We are going to miss competing with him and it’s really awesome to have the opportunity to race alongside him in his final race. We’ve had some good times over the years and it’s been awesome to learn from him.

“He’s always been open to teach us and show me around the dunes the first time. I owe a lot of what I’ve learned in cross-country to him.”

Dacia enters the fray

After crashing out on his Dakar Rally debut in 2022, the 30-year-old Lategan came storming back last year by finishing fifth. He was unable to build on that finish in 2024 after sustaining a shoulder injury in a crash during the SA Rally-Raid Championship last year.

Winning the gruelling Dakar Rally is an entirely different kettle of fish. While Audi, which produced Carlos Sainz’s winning car in 2024, has discontinued their Dakar project, newcomer Dacia have enrolled Nasser Al-Attiyah and Sebastian Loeb, with a host Sainz and another winner Nani Roma going to Ford.

Former bike champion Toby Price, who has made the switch from two to four wheels, is also a contender who’ll be competing in a Hilux.

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Dakar Rally wide open

“I reckon there are at least 15 who can win the race,” said De Villiers.

“You’ve got Nasser and Loeb in the Dacias, Carlos and Nani among four competing Fords and the likes of Lucas Moraes and Yazeed Al-Rajhi. I think Toby Price will also be up to speed quickly.

“But in saying that, the Fords and Dacias as brand new and our car have been there for probably the longest, which gives me a good deal of confidence.”

His sentiment was shared with Glenn Crompton, Toyota South Africa Motors Vice-President for Marketing and Technical Services. TGRSA has produced a winner in Al-Attiyah, but their ultimate goal remains for a South African to win the Dakar.

Toyota quietly optimistic

“I’ve been watching this team grow for the last 12, 13 years. Every year we go I’m confident, but I’ve never been as confident as I am this year,” said Crompton.

“We are quietly confident we have a car that can end on the podium, if not win. But there is a lot that can happen between the start and the finish of the Dakar.”

The 2025 Dakar Rally starts on 3 January and finishes on the 17th.