Sun City, South Africa – 20 May 2025
The opening stage of the 2025 South African Safari Rally – proudly presented by TOYOTA GAZOO Racing – proved to be a gruelling test for TOYOTA GAZOO Racing South Africa (TGRSA), as both GR Hilux EVO crews faced a cocktail of navigational and mechanical challenges on the rugged 557-kilometre route surrounding Sun City in the North West Province.
Following a promising performance in the 9-kilometre TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Prologue on 19 May, hopes were high for TGRSA. Guy Botterill and Dennis Murphy came within a whisker of topping the time sheets, finishing just one second adrift of the leaders. Teammates Saood Variawa and Francois Cazalet had originally claimed the fastest prologue time, only to be hit with a jump-start penalty that pushed them down the order, forcing them to start the main event 56 seconds adrift of the front-runners.
A Stage of Contrasts
Stage 1 demanded precision and endurance across 262 kilometres of competitive racing and 295 kilometres of liaison sections. Looping westward from Sun City and back again, the route offered dry and dusty tracks punctuated by sudden muddy patches, testing the crews’ mettle in navigation and mechanical resilience alike. With temperatures peaking in the high 20s, both men and machines were pushed to their limits.
Botterill and Murphy’s day began with promise but quickly unravelled in the face of navigational challenges. “That was a tricky stage for us,” admitted Botterill. “The car was really good — we just struggled a bit with navigation and that basically sums up the day.” A missed waypoint cost them a time penalty, relegating the duo to 15th place, 10 minutes and 7 seconds off the stage leaders.
Reflecting on the difficulty, Botterill added, “Navigation is very different to what we’re used to in South Africa. Here, it’s all roadbook-based with no external markers. When you make a mistake, it’s hard to recover. That made today particularly tricky.”
For Variawa and Cazalet, Stage 1 was a race of attrition. The pair showed impressive early pace, but a series of technical setbacks quickly derailed their momentum. “About 40 kilometres in, our exhaust mount broke, so we had to run without anti-lag,” explained Variawa. “Then our spare tyre started catching alight, which forced us to stop multiple times. In the last 60 km, we lost fuel pressure too.”
Despite these setbacks, the duo soldiered on, crossing the line in 22nd position, 14 minutes and 59 seconds behind the leaders – a testament to their tenacity and the underlying robustness of the GR Hilux EVO.
A Platform That Holds Strong
Despite the challenges faced by both crews, the TGRSA technical team confirmed no major structural concerns with the GR Hilux EVOs. The platform handled the diverse terrain with admirable composure, reinforcing its reputation as a formidable rally-raid machine.
All Eyes on the Marathon Stage
With Stage 2 marking the beginning of the demanding Marathon Stage – comprising 352 kilometres of timed racing ending at a remote bivouac near Stella – the pressure now intensifies. Crews will be without their service teams and must rely solely on their own skills to perform any repairs before taking on Stage 3 on Thursday.
This two-day stretch is expected to be a crucial turning point in the rally, separating the contenders from the rest as the field tackles Africa’s rugged landscapes with no safety net.
The 2025 South African Safari Rally will conclude on Saturday, 25 May, back at Sun City, after five days of high-speed endurance, unforgiving terrain, and relentless competition. For TGRSA, the rally is far from over – and if Stage 1 proved anything, it’s that resilience will be just as important as raw pace.
