Toyota Gazoo Racing SA celebrates resilience over podiums in Dakar 2026

THE TOYOTA Gazoo Racing South Africa crews arrived back home on Tuesday morning, January 20, to a warm welcome at OR Tambo International Airport, closing the chapter on a demanding Dakar Rally campaign that tested both people and machinery over two gruelling weeks in Saudi Arabia.

Dakar 2026 covered more than 7,000 kilometres and proved to be one of the toughest editions in recent years, with a highly competitive field and a finish rate that underlined the difficulty of simply reaching the final podium in Yanbu.

For the team, getting all three cars through the rally was an achievement in itself.

Vice-President of Marketing Glenn Crompton reflected on the campaign by stressing performance over position.

“This is an incredibly difficult race to finish. When you look beyond the final results and study the performance day by day, waypoint by waypoint, we were consistently at the front of the race.

“Unfortunately, punctures were the one element we couldn’t control, and that clouded the overall picture. But this was a very strong Dakar for us as a team.”

A plan tested by Dakar

Team Principal Shameer Variawa said the team arrived with a clear strategy focused on surviving the opening stages before pushing harder in the second half of the rally.

“Our strategy was to get through the first week cleanly and set ourselves up for the second half of the rally. What we couldn’t anticipate was the sheer number of punctures we encountered. We went through close to 36 flat tyres during the race.

“Mechanically, the cars were strong and reliable, and from a performance point of view, we were where we needed to be.”

Variawa added that the evolving nature of Dakar has raised the bar across the field.

“The benchmark has risen across the board. Everyone is pushing harder, every day, and our Hiluxes took an incredible beating and still finished. That speaks volumes about the work done by the engineers and mechanics.”

Moments that stood out

One of the highlights came from Saood Variawa and co-driver Francois Cazalet, who claimed a hard-fought Stage 8 victory after starting deep in the field. Saood finished Dakar 2026 as the top-placed South African driver.

“Every stage we gave it everything. Up until the point where punctures or small errors crept in, we were always running inside the top five. Winning a stage like that, by just a few seconds, showed we have the pace to run at the front,” Saood said.

Cazalet described the win as a defining moment.

“From the first kilometres, we knew we were on a mission. We were focused on small details, on finding the best lines, and motivating each other until the end. That win meant a lot, not just for us in the car, but for the entire team.”

Guy Botterill and navigator Oriol Mena endured a rally shaped by setbacks, including a damaged hydraulic jack and a stage completed without power steering.

“There were days where we had genuinely unforeseen issues that cost us a lot of time,” Botterill said. “But even then, we managed to claw back time on the leaders. When you strip out a few of those major incidents, we were right there in the fight.”

Mena highlighted the broader team effort.

“The numbers don’t reflect the effort. From the people in the kitchen to the engineers and mechanics, everyone gave everything. We’re building something strong, and that takes time.”

João Ferreira and co-driver Filipe Palmeiro showed early pace, particularly in the dunes, before tyre damage reshaped their rally.

“We showed that we had the pace to fight for a podium, but Dakar doesn’t always go to plan,” Ferreira said. “Even so, being part of this team is special.”

Pride on home soil

Behind the scenes, mechanics and engineers worked late into the night to ensure all three cars reached the start line each day — a collective effort Crompton said defines the team’s approach.

“For us, it’s about development — not just of cars, but of people. Drivers, navigators, mechanics, engineers — everyone grows through this process.

“That’s why we do Dakar. The results matter, but how you achieve them matters more.”

As the team now looks ahead to the rest of the 2026 season, the mood on home soil was one of pride.

“When you see what this team puts in — the professionalism, the passion, the resilience — you realise that every single person can take pride in what was achieved,” Crompton said.