TOYOTA GAZOO Racing W2RC (TGR W2RC) emerged from a punishing Stage 1, in which all three DKR GR Hilux overcame setbacks to establish a strong foundation for their 2026 Dakar Rally challenge in Saudi Arabia.
After Saturday’s short Prologue set the starting order, the Dakar Rally truly got underway with the 518 km Stage 1 on an inland loop around the Red Sea city of Yanbu. An undulating, fast route began on gravel before reaching a mid-stage pit stop zone. It then passed through rocky plateaus and finished with a wider, high-speed section.
With sharp roadside rocks creating a high risk of punctures, and only two spare wheels permitted, the TGR W2RC crews adopted a cautious approach to ensure all three DKR GR Hilux remained in the fight for victory.
Toby Price and Armand Monleón had been running consistently in the top 10 in their first full Dakar stage together. However, a puncture directly after the pit stop zone dropped the #204 DKR GR Hilux behind a slower competitor and they ended the day in 16th, 5 mins 17 secs behind the leaders.
Following their Prologue puncture, Henk Lategan and Brett Cummings opened the stage as the first crew on the road. Two early punctures further complicated matters and imposed a cautious approach for the remainder of the day. Nevertheless, a determined drive after the pit stop zone helped the #202 DKR GR Hilux stay in touch with the leading pack in 17th place, 6 mins 57 secs off the lead.
Seth Quintero and Andrew Short had set the pace in the opening kilometres in their #203 DKR GR Hilux, but a puncture dropped them out of the top 10. The American pair were also given a two‑minute penalty for speeding in a controlled zone. They finished the stage in 18th, 7 mins 18 secs behind stage winners Guillaume de Mévius and Mathieu Baumel (X‑Raid Team), with Nasser Al‑Attiyah and Fabian Lurquin (Dacia Sandriders) second and Martin Prokop and Viktor Chytka (Orlen Jipocar Team) third.
Monday’s Stage 2 takes competitors east from Yanbu to the ancient oasis city of AlUla through a mountainous 504 km route which includes 400 km of competitive action and features fast tracks, winding rocky sections and hilly terrain.
Henk Lategan: “We knew that it was going to be a difficult day because we were opening the stage. It became a bit more difficult when we got our first puncture just 5 km in. It was a rocky stage, so we backed off a little and tried to make sure we didn’t get a second one. Unfortunately, after 100 km we did get a second puncture. That caused massive stress because we had 80 km until the pit stop zone, with no spares. If we had another puncture, we could have been out. To be safe, we tiptoed through the stones and completely slowed down. We got to the pit stop zone and swapped tyres. From there it went quite well. Over the last 120 km we could enjoy ourselves. The car is feeling good and today doesn’t really represent its true potential. I’m looking forward to having a better day tomorrow.”
Seth Quintero: “It was a good day for us. Unfortunately, we had a puncture quite early on. After that we decided it was not worth going too fast and potentially getting another puncture so soon in the stage, with the risk of having no spares. So, we took it slowly for a while. Then unfortunately we got a speeding penalty in one of the controlled zones. All in all, we lost seven minutes but that’s not terrible on the Dakar. A lot worse could happen. We’ve got a good starting position for Stage 2 so we’re ready to go.”
Toby Price: “The morning part was going really well, and we were comfortably in the top 10. Even though there were a lot of stones and rocks, we got to the pit stop zone without any issues. As a precaution, we changed the rear tyres and, as we drove away, I tried to build some temperature in the tyres. I didn’t feel anything, but all of a sudden, we had a flat tyre. We changed that, but the guys behind caught up and then we got stuck behind.”
Source: Toyota Gazoo Racing
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