Giniel de Villiers has finished the Dakar Rally 21 consecutive times. Picture: Toyota
Giniel de Villiers saluted his Toyota Gazoo Racing South Africa (TGRSA) team-mates and racing Hilux after yet another successful outing at this year’s Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia.
While 2009 winner De Villiers finished his record 21st consecutive race in seventh place alongside navigator Dennis Murphy, Guy Botterill and Brett Cumming was the best-placed crew from TGRSA coming home in sixth, with 18-year-old Saood Variawa finished 16th along French co-driver Francois Cazalet.
While three Toyota Gazoo Racing crews finished in the top 10 in the cars category, a total of six Hiluxes finished in the top nine.
“I’d like to congratulate Saood and Guy as they did a really incredible job. There’s a lot of top guys I’ve competed with in the past who didn’t even manage to finish in their first outing,” De Villiers said during TGRSA’s arrival press conference on Thursday.
”The Hilux was once again testament of unbelievable reliability. These locally built cars are perceived to be the toughest cars out there.”
Botterill and De Villiers, for who TGRSA set a goal of finishing on the Dakar Rally podium, could have finished in the top five if they did not stop to assist fellow crews from Toyota Gazoo Racing along the way.
“It is unbelievable for me to get where I got to. This is my Formula One, to drive for Toyota Gazoo Racing South Africa and finish the way we did with Brett next to me was emotional,” said Botterrill, an experience rally driver.
“I was fine the whole way until Brett told me enjoy your last kilometer and then I got emotional. So thank you Brett!”
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Saood Variawa, whose main order from his father and team principle Shameer Variawa was to finish the Dakar, could not stop smiling at his achievement.
“To be racing in the toughest race in the world, I didn’t expect it to be as tough as it was. We took it day by day. I learned every day and tried to apply it the next day,” he said.
“I’ll take it small steps at a time and climb ladder. Hopefully next year I can try and go for a top 10 finish.”
De Villiers believes that five-time Dakar winner Nasser Al-Attiyah could be back in Hilux in the not to distant future. The Qatari won three of the previous five races in a TGRSA Hilux before moving into a Hunter Prodrive alongside Sebastian Loeb this year.
Al-Attiyah withdrew after stage nine due to mechanical problems, while issues also cost Loeb after he was within touching distance of eventual winner Carlos Sainz.
“I think you all saw Nasser complaining about his car in the end. I asked the guys if their phones have started ringing and does he want to come back and they all said yes, it has been ringing a few times,” says De Villiers.
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“On the penultimate stage Loeb called me over to have a look underneath his car. He told me that his car is just not strong enough and I could see he is also jealous of the Hilux.
“It’s great to know that this car is built right here in South Africa and that all these guys want to drive a Hilux.”
And is there a 22nd Dakar Rally for De Villiers I the not-too-distant future? After taking a deep breath, he told The Citizen Motoring behind a big smile: “Just afford me some rest first before I decide.”
For now, the only roads the Stellenbosch resident will be driving on are the ones to the golf course and his favourite kite-surfing spot.
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