As the first week of the Dakar Rally 2025 draws to a close, all eyes are on the formidable lineup of drivers and their teams, with Toyota GAZOO Racing (TGR) holding a prominent position in the overall standings. The rally reached its midpoint with Stage 5 in Hail, after the crews navigated the tough terrain of the Marathon bivouac at Alula. For TGR, the opening week has been filled with both triumph and tribulation, yet their prospects remain strong as the race heads into its second week.
Stage 5 Victory for Quintero and Zenz
Stage 5 marked a moment of brilliance for TGR’s Seth Quintero and Dennis Zenz (#204), who clinched the fastest time of the day in their GR Hilux EVO. The pair completed the 428km timed stage in 4 hours, 32 minutes, and 53 seconds, narrowly edging out the second-placed team by a mere second. Their victory not only secured them a place in the Top 10 of the overall standings but also reaffirmed the relentless performance of the GR Hilux EVO, particularly its engine, which had been optimised in collaboration with Repsol to run on renewable fuel. Quintero, who had lost valuable time earlier in the rally due to punctures, is now 1 hour, 3 minutes, and 10 seconds behind the overall leaders, with seven stages left to challenge for the top positions.
Lategan and Cummings Retain Overall Lead
Despite encountering a series of punctures during the Marathon section, Henk Lategan and co-driver Brett Cummings (#211) have successfully retained their lead in the overall standings. Their GR Hilux EVO, which withstood the harsh conditions of the opening week, crossed the line in 4th place on Stage 5, maintaining a comfortable 10-minute and 17-second lead over Saudi Arabia’s Yazeed Al Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk (#201). With the rally’s intensity set to increase in Week 2, Lategan and Cummings will need to remain consistent and resilient to fend off their rivals, but their strong start has put them in an excellent position to contend for victory.
Variawa’s Impressive Performance Amid Setbacks
For Saood Variawa and co-driver Francois Cazalet (#218), Dakar 2025 has been a tale of highs and lows. The duo has demonstrated impressive speed, most notably when Variawa became the youngest stage winner in the Ultimate Class after Stage 3. However, a costly collision on Stage 2 has put them at a significant time disadvantage, and despite a solid 6th-place finish on Stage 5, they are now in 47th position overall, 8 hours and 22 minutes behind the leaders. Variawa’s resilience, however, continues to shine, and with seven stages left, the young driver could yet recover valuable positions.
Challenges for Moraes and Botterill
Lucas Moraes and Armand Monleon (#203) encountered several hurdles during Stage 5, including a navigational error and a puncture, which slowed their progress. Despite these setbacks, they managed to finish just over 9 minutes behind the leaders and ended the opening week in 5th place overall, just 41 minutes and 55 seconds behind Lategan. While the pair will need to address their navigation and tyre issues, their performance has demonstrated their potential to remain competitive in the second half of the rally.
For Guy Botterill and Dennis Murphy (#205), the opening week has been particularly difficult. After a promising start, Botterill’s GR Hilux EVO suffered a broken rear differential during Stage 2, and missed waypoints incurred penalties that dropped them to 90th place overall. Although their overall position may not reflect it, Botterill’s contributions to the team, particularly his assistance to teammate Giniel de Villiers when they ran out of spare tyres, have been crucial in keeping the team’s morale high. De Villiers and co-driver Dirk von Zitzewitz (#206) have also struggled with punctures and tyre shortages, leaving them in 20th place overall after a difficult Week 1.
Looking Ahead: Rest Day and Week 2 Challenges
With the opening week now behind them, the teams are granted a well-deserved rest day in Hail, allowing their technicians to prepare the cars for the grueling second half of the rally. Week 2 promises to bring even more challenges, with the longest stage—605km between Hail and Al Duwadimi—on the horizon. From there, the route will continue to Riyadh and Haradh, before culminating in the fearsome Empty Quarter at Shubaytah. The rally will conclude on Friday, 17 January, but the battle for the top positions is far from over.
Final Thoughts
As the teams gear up for the second week of Dakar 2025, Toyota GAZOO Racing finds itself in a strong position. Lategan and Cummings’ leadership in the overall standings, coupled with Quintero and Zenz’s Stage 5 victory, has set the stage for a thrilling conclusion to the event. However, with the relentless nature of the Dakar Rally and unpredictable challenges ahead, anything can happen. As the crews prepare for the coming stages, the next few days will be crucial in determining who will ultimately emerge victorious in one of the world’s most unforgiving motorsport events.
Quotes:
Henk Lategan:
“The past two days have been really tough, especially the first half of the marathon. It was such a risky game with getting punctures. The first stage yesterday was just full of rocks, and unfortunately, we got two punctures with about 80 kilometres to go. Even so, this car has been unbelievable. It’s a seriously tough car. Still a long way to go, but so far, so good. We’re just trying to keep it clean and we’ll do the same for the next week.”
Lucas Moraes:
“We got lost for 15 minutes and then we got punctured while we were lost. So, a disappointing day, but yeah, first week done. Let’s see if we can put something together for next week.”
Seth Quintero:
“Day one, I ended up getting three flats, which kind of took us out and lost an hour there. And then today I said, let’s just go for it. You know, prior to the Dakar, the team worked with Repsol to optimise the engine for the renewable fuel that we are using, and it is really paying off. The car has been amazing, and the engine has been performing as expected.”
Giniel de Villiers:
“The last two days were quite tough and today we unfortunately ran out of tyres. You can’t drive home on the brake discs, so we had to wait. Thanks to Guy, who gave us a tyre, and then we basically followed each at a snail’s pace.”
Saood Variawa:
“Unfortunately, we opened for the first part of the marathon. We were good up until about 200km in and then we had two punctures. Today’s stage, we had managed to plug one tyre from yesterday, so we saved one and then we gave our spare to Guy – so we basically finished the stage over the last 250km with no spare tyres. It’s definitely tougher than last year. The Chrono was crazy and also the Marathon just added to it, so rest is needed.”
Guy Botterill:
“Last night, Dennis and I repaired I think four tyres for the team to drive on. Today was very challenging, but we did what we had to do. I’m nowhere in this race, so my job is to support the team and I think Dennis and I did a really good job to keep everything going. It was not easy.”
