I LEARNED to drive a clunker. OK, maybe that's an exaggeration, but the car that "taught" me my driving skills had no power steering or other luxuries; it was a bare-boned simple automobile that tested my grip strength.

However, when I did my driver’s test, my cousin lent me his newer, more sleek sporty car; this car had power steering, and my brain exploded when I effortlessly glided into the bay, acing my parallel parking test. Since then, I have been a cheerleader for power steering.

Now, that was in a city, and under controlled conditions, but imagine wrestling a heavy steering wheel across broken ground for hours, every rock sending a jolt through your arms, every corner demanding full commitment, every rut testing the integrity of your fillings. 

Then imagine doing that at racing speed, in desert heat, with hundreds of kilometres still to go. That kind of physical grind is easy to overlook on a timing sheet — but it defined parts of TOYOTA GAZOO Racing South Africa’s second day at the 2026 Dakar Rally.

After a steady and disciplined opening to the event, TGRSA faced a much sterner examination on Monday as Stage 2 stretched crews and machinery on the long run from Yanbu to AlUla.

The South African team arrived at Stage 2 from a position of quiet confidence. Saturday’s Prologue had been completed without drama, all three crews safely inside the top 20, and Stage 1 delivered exactly what the team wanted — clean finishes, solid pace and cars returned to the bivouac in good condition.

That measured approach would be tested over a far more demanding second day.

A long and punishing second stage

Stage 2 featured a 400 km special stage within a total distance of just over 500 km, placing the emphasis firmly on speed, navigation and mechanical reliability. The route mixed long fast sections with rocky and stoned tracks, requiring crews to balance outright pace with care for their cars over the distance.

Leading the way for TGRSA was João Ferreira, partnered by Filipe Palmeiro in car No.240. The Portuguese pairing produced an impressive drive to finish fifth on the stage, despite encountering a slow puncture early on.

“It was a long stage and the longest one so far,” said Ferreira. “We started with a lot of stones and had a slow puncture, but after the pit stop it was very fast and sandy with a lot of navigation. We pushed there and finished P5 for the day. It’s a very positive result, but it’s still only the second day of Dakar, so we stay focused on the next stage.”

Their performance lifted them into sixth overall, just over two minutes off the lead after two stages.

Strong pace, late setback

Saood Variawa and Francois Cazalet, in car No.213, also showed front-running pace for much of the day. Running at the sharp end of the field, the pair led the stage deep into the route before misfortune struck late on.

“Stage two was quite good,” said Variawa. “We were leading for most of the stage up until the last 100 kilometres. We then had a puncture and sat in dust for a bit, but the pace was really good. We managed to pass several cars and the car was amazing throughout. We’re happy with where we are and we have a good starting position for tomorrow.”

They finished the stage in 10th position and now sit ninth overall at +4:34, still firmly in contention as the rally begins to take shape.

A test of endurance

For Guy Botterill and Oriol Mena in car No.218, Stage 2 became a true endurance test. An early puncture was followed by a hydraulic jack failure that resulted in the loss of power steering — forcing the crew to complete nearly 200 kilometres without assistance.

“Tough day for us, it didn’t go to plan,” said Botterill. “We had to do almost 200 kilometres with no power steering and even change a tyre without a jack by parking the car on a hill. The body took a beating, but I can’t believe we only lost around 30 minutes. Oriol was as always very good on the notes, and considering everything, I think we did a great job.”

Despite the physical toll, the pair reached the AlUla bivouac and continue the rally in 25th overall at +32:46.

Building into the Dakar rhythm

With two full stages completed, all three TGRSA crews remain in the rally and well positioned as Dakar 2026 begins to stretch into its familiar rhythm. The steady Prologue, clean opening stage and mixed fortunes of Stage 2 underline the importance of patience, resilience and consistency over outright speed. The team knows what’s needed as they shift their focus to recovery and consistency over the coming stages.

Stage 3 will see the rally tackle a demanding loop around AlUla, featuring a 421 km special stage within a total distance of 736 km. With no service route during the stage and a heavy emphasis on dirt tracks and sand, accuracy and mechanical sympathy will again be crucial as the Dakar grind continues.

DAKAR RALLY 2026 – STAGE 2 RESULTS

1st: Seth Quintero / Alex Short (Toyota Gazoo Racing W2RC) – 3h57m16s

2nd: Henk Lategan / Brett Cummings (Toyota Gazoo Racing W2RC) – +01:42

3rd: Yazeed Al Rajhi / Timo Gottschalk (Overdrive Racing) – +01:56

4th: Toby Price / Alejandro Monleon (Toyota Gazoo Racing W2RC) – +04:36

5th: João Ferreira / Filipe Palmeiro (Toyota Gazoo Racing SA) – +04:56

6th: Sébastien Vitse / Mathieu Delfino (MD Rallye Sport) – +05:46

7th: Sébastien Loeb / Fabian Lurquin (The Dacia Sandriders) – +06:07

8th: Nasser Al-Attiyah / Fabian Lurquin (The Dacia Sandriders) – +06:31

9th: Michal Goczal / Maciej Marton (Energylandia Rally Team) – +06:42

10th: Saood Variawa / François Cazalet (Toyota Gazoo Racing SA) – +07:30

40th: Giniel de Villiers Botterill / Omar Mena (Toyota Gazoo Racing SA) – +37:34

DAKAR RALLY 2026 – OVERALL STANDINGS AFTER STAGE 2

1st: Nasser Al-Attiyah / Fabian Lurquin (The Dacia Sandriders) – 7h12m16s

2nd: Seth Quintero / Alex Short (Toyota Gazoo Racing W2RC) – +00:07

3rd: Guillaume de Mévius / Mathieu Baumel (X-Raid Team) – +01:09

4th: Henk Lategan / Brett Cummings (Toyota Gazoo Racing W2RC) – +01:28

5th: Sébastien Loeb / Fabian Lurquin (The Dacia Sandriders) – +01:57

6th: João Ferreira / Filipe Palmeiro (Toyota Gazoo Racing SA) – +02:01

7th: Toby Price / Alejandro Monleon (Toyota Gazoo Racing W2RC) – +02:42

8th: Mattias Ekström / Emil Bergkvist (Ford Racing) – +04:04

9th: Saood Variawa / François Cazalet (Toyota Gazoo Racing SA) – +04:34

10th: Carlos Sainz / Lucas Cruz (Ford Racing) – +06:35

25th: Giniel de Villiers Botterill / Omar Mena (Toyota Gazoo Racing SA) – +32:46