STRONG STAGE FOR TOYOTA GAZOO Racing AT DAKAR 2024

• 2nd on stage for Lucas Moraes and Armand Monleon
• Lucas and Armand move into 3rd in general rankings
• Giniel de Villiers and Dennis Murphy promoted to 5th in general rankings
• Guy Botterill and Brett Cummings move into 9th in general rankings

The second week of Dakar 2024 kicked off with Stage 7 of the event, spanning between the Saudi capital of Riyadh and the town of Al Duwadimi to the west. The day was described as ‘extremely tough and tricky’ by the crews, and consisted of a timed section of 483km, run over rocky tracks, sand and dunes. But for TOYOTA GAZOO Racing’s Lucas Moraes and Armand Monleon, the day brought a valuable result, as they posted the second-fastest time, just 7min 06sec behind the stage winners.

Lucas and Armand recorded a largely uneventful run, only relinquishing some time to the leaders due to a slow puncture near the end of the stage. They managed to bring the car home without changing the wheel, though the tyre was down to the rim by the time they reached the finish. Even so, they have now moved up into 3rd place overall, 1hr 0min 35sec behind the overall leaders. They are also within 40min of 2nd place, and with five tough stages to go, anything can still happen.

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Seth Quintero and co-driver, Dennis Zenz, was the second-fastest GR DKR Hilux EVO T1U crew on Stage 7. The Californian driver and his German navigator posted the 9th-fastest day on the stage, only losing time due to some tricky navigation early in the stage, as well as a concern with the alternator in their car, later in the day. They lost 17min 16sec to the stage winners on the day, but unfortunately remain out of contention in the overall standings, where they find themselves in 41st place overall, after a technical setback during the opening week of the race.

The three South African TGR crews followed their two teammates, with Giniel de Villiers and Dennis Murphy spending the bulk of Stage 7 driving together with Seth and Dennis. They, too, fell foul to some navigational challenges, but still posted the 11th-fastest time on the stage, just 8min behind their teammates. Giniel and Dennis are in 5th place overall, 1hr 40min 07sec behind the lead.

Guy Botterill, one of two rookie drivers in the team, has shown remarkable pace over the opening week of the event. Together with experienced co-driver, Brett Cummings, Guy has largely avoided any problems, and as a result finds himself in the overall Top 10 of the rally, just 13min behind the man in 8th place. Guy and Brett had a tough outing on Stage 7, however, with a number of minor but niggling issues showing up in their otherwise reliable car. They were able to manage the electrical and electronic challenges of the day well, and still recorded the 16th-fastest time on the stage. They lost 32min 16sec as a result but will be aiming to further improve their position in the general classification over the coming stages.

TGR’s final pairing of rookie driver Saood Variawa, together with co-driver Francois Cazalet, lost time on Stage 7 due to a problem with the rear differential on their car. They were forced to stop and refill the unit with oil, before continuing. They also suffered a puncture and struggled to get maximum power from the turbo-charged V6 engine in their GR DKR Hilux EVO T1U. In the end, these challenges cost them 1hr 20min 5sec on the stage, dropping them down to 21st in the overall standings. Despite this, the young driving continues to bank each stage as experience for the future, and the pair are looking forward to the upcoming stages of the rally.

Stage 8 follows on Monday, January 15th, and will take the crews from the bivouac at Al Duwadimi to the city of Ha’il via a stage of 458km. The terrain in this area is expected to be a mixed bag, adding to the complexity of an already demanding race. The final week of the rally will see the crews visit Ha’il before moving to Alula for two stages; and then the final two stages near the coastal city of Yanbu, where the race will finish on Friday.

DAKAR 2024 – STAGE 7 RESULTS

DAKAR 2024 – STANDINGS AFTER STAGE 7