TGRSA crews reach rest day after demanding Stage 6 at Dakar 2026

All three Toyota Gazoo Racing South Africa crews safely completed Stage 6 of the 2026 Dakar Rally on Friday, reaching the Rest Day in Riyadh after a tough opening week of racing.

Stage 6 took competitors from Ha’il to Riyadh over a demanding route filled with technical dunes and complex navigation. For TGRSA, the priority was to manage the cars carefully, avoid mistakes, and consolidate overall positions after six intense days on the rally.

João Ferreira and Filipe Palmeiro delivered a strong performance, finishing fifth on the stage, 4 minutes 56 seconds behind the winner. The Portuguese pairing faced more dunes than expected but maintained a strong and consistent pace throughout the day, with the car performing reliably in difficult conditions.

Ferreira said it had been a very long and challenging stage but was pleased with how the day unfolded and with the car’s performance. Palmeiro highlighted the difficulty of the navigation and the importance of limiting time losses as the rally reached its halfway point. Their result sees them go into the rest day in 12th place overall, just under 32 minutes off the lead.

Guy Botterill and Oriol Mena continued their steady and consistent run with a ninth-place finish on Stage 6, only 7 minutes 8 seconds off the fastest time. The pair appeared increasingly confident in the dunes, finding a good rhythm and maintaining pace without taking unnecessary risks.

Botterill said the crew was happy with their performance and enjoyed the demanding dune conditions. After six stages, Botterill and Mena hold 17th place overall, just over an hour behind the overall leader, having recovered well from a challenging middle phase of the rally.

For Saood Variawa and Francois Cazalet, Stage 6 was shaped by fuel management in the final part of the stage. Variawa showed strong pace early on but had to slow significantly in the last 40 kilometres to ensure the car reached the finish.

Variawa said it was not their best stage, but reaching the end with the car in one piece was the most important outcome. Cazalet confirmed that the crew reduced pace and switched off systems late in the stage to save fuel. They finished the day in 14th position, 10 minutes 30 seconds behind the stage winner, and remain 11th overall heading into the rest day, 28 minutes 41 seconds off the lead.

With Stage 6 complete, the Dakar Rally now pauses in Riyadh before resuming with seven stages still to come. The second half of the race will include another marathon stage, more extensive dune sections, and a route heading south towards Wadi Ad Dawasir before turning north east for the final run to Yanbu, where the rally concludes on 17 January.