Overdrive Racing and Toyota Gazoo Racing won four of the 12 stages and finished the 46th Dakar Rally with Toyota Hiluxes in second, fourth, sixth, seventh, ninth and 11th overall.
Guillaume de Mévius and Xavier Panseri were the team’s star duo in a Toyota GR DKR Hilux prepared by Overdrive Racing. The Belgian won the opening stage and gradually climbed back into contention after first week time losses to finish in a sensational second overall behind the triumphant Carlos Sainz and Lucas Cruz.
De Mévius said: “For sure, I’m very happy. It was a crazy race. We never expected to be on the podium. We always dreamed about it, but it was not the objective at the beginning of the race. It’s an amazing feeling to be here, it’s an amazing feeling to be second. Thank you to Overdrive, thank you to the team, thank you to my family and my friends who have given a lot of support. It’s an amazing feeling. It was very challenging with long stages. It was hard, but we made it. The feeling is incredible.”
Team mates, Guerlain Chicherit and Alex Winocq, were 11th at the rest day in Riyadh after power steering failure and pressed on during the run north over the second week to win two special stages en route to fourth place in their Overdrive Racing car.
Chicherit said:"The time lost in stages three and four is what separates us from the winners today. It's frustrating, but I prefer to focus on the positive, which is our fantastic recovery in the overall standings. Alex (Winocq) did an incredible job on the navigation, especially in the challenging stage 11 when we opened the route and won, which is rare in our sport. I also want to congratulate Guillaume (de Mévius) and Xavier (Panseri) for their outstanding second place. Our performances have really put our new team in the spotlight.”
The Toyota Gazoo Racing trio of Guy Botterill/Brett Cummings, Giniel de Viliers/Dennis Murphy and Lucas Moraes/Armand Monleón reached the finish in sixth, seventh and ninth overall, although Moraes was running as high as second until he lost time on the penultimate stage. Botterill was the leading rookie finisher.
Denis Krotov and Konstantin Zhiltsov delivered another solid performance to finish just outside the top 10 in 11th place in their Overdrive Racing Toyota.
The Italian duo of Eugenio Amos and Paulo Ceci stopped on the final stage and lost their chance of finishing inside the top 20.
Ronan Chabot and Gilles Picard were not registered for the W2RC, but the French crew finished 31st, two places ahead of Argentina’s Juan-Cruz Yacopini and Spanish co-driver Daniel Oliveras.
The French father and daughter crew of Lionel and Lucie Baud were classified in 33rd overall. Baud said: “We were on this incredibly tough race to share emotions. After experiencing issues with the car's hydraulic jacks, the electronic control unit broke down in the infamous 48-hour stage. We managed to finish the stage in survival mode, the car slowing down gradually. Just 500 meters from the finish line, the car was moving at 10km/h. We thought we wouldn't make it. The car definitively broke down right on the finish line. It was impossible to go two metres further. We were out of the race by just two metres after completing the 547km of challenging dunes. What we went through with Lucie is indescribable. But it is fantastic to finish this race!”
Talented young American Seth Quintero was not eligible to challenge for Dakar honours after his Hilux underwent an engine block change during the first week and he was running well until he crashed off a big drop on stage 10. He and co-driver Dennis Zenz did make the finish in Yanbu.
As feared, Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk were not able to start the second half of the event after their accident on the first part of stage six. Al-Rajhi, who led the event for three days, said: “The roll cage did a great job and protected us perfectly during the roll over. But it was damaged in the process and repairs were not permitted. We are proud to have led the Dakar Rally and helped set the pace. Now we have to look to the future and do everything we can to fight for the W2RC title".
The Spanish duo of Isidre Esteve Pujol and José-Maria Villalobos ran an Overdrive Racing-built Toyota Hilux under the Repsol Toyota Rally Team banner. After transmission issues on stage six, the crew spent two nights under the stars. Villalobos removed the front driveshafts and the cardan shaft but they then got stuck fast at the bottom of a dune for hours. However, the crew recovered well during the second week and managed to finish the event.
2024 Dakar Rally – result (unofficial):
1. Carlos Sainz (ESP)/Lucas Cruz (ESP) Audi RS Q E-tron E2 48hr 15min 18sec
2. Guillaume de Mevius (BEL)/Xavier Panseri (FRA) Toyota Hilux Overdrive 49hr 35min 43sec
3. Sébastien Loeb (FRA)/Fabian Lurquin (BEL) BRX Prodrive Hunter 49hr 44min 30sec*
4. Guerlain Chicherit (FRA)/Alex Winocq (FRA) Toyota Hilux Overdrive 49hr 51min 17sec
5. Martin Prokop (CZE)/Viktor Chytka (CZE) Ford Raptor RS 50hr 32min 01sec
6. Guy Botterill (ZAF)/Brett Cummings (ZAF) Toyota GR DKR Hilux 50hr 55min 51sec*
7. Giniel de Villiers (ZAF)/Dennis Murphy (ZAF) Toyota GR DKR Hilux 51hr 05min 44sec*
8. Benediktas Vanagas (LTU)/Kuldar Sikk (LTU) Toyota Hilux 51hr 12min 35sec*
9. Lucas Moraes (BRA)/Armand Monleón (ESP) Toyota GR DKR Hilux 51hr 18min 30sec
10. Mathieu Serradori (FRA)/Loic Minaudier (FRA) Century CR6-T 51hr 19min 30sec
Source: Overdrive Racing
Disclaimer:
As a service to the sport we all love and follow, Rally-Raid Network posts numerous media releases from a wide variety of sources on our website. Due to the large number, and some times short time available, it is nearly impossible to review each public release. These articles are written by reporters or press officers who work for various organizers, teams, drivers, riders, and other parties, and they do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Rally-Raid Network.
