TOYOTA GAZOO Racing W2RC (TGR W2RC) unleashed the full potential of the all-new DKR GR Hilux by taking a dominant one-two win on Stage 2 to strengthen its challenge for overall victory in the Dakar Rally.
After a tough Stage 1, which was affected by multiple punctures on the rough terrain, the TGR W2RC crews hit back by taking advantage of a later starting position – and therefore a cleaner route – to dominate Stage 2, with all three DKR GR Hilux vehicles finishing in the top four.
The route took competitors inland, starting in Yanbu and initially crossing the rocky tracks of the Hejaz Mountains. After a pit stop zone, the terrain changed to faster, sandy plains as the stage moved towards the ancient oasis city of AlUla to complete 400 km of competitive action.
Seth Quintero and Andrew Short were towards the front from the start and moved into the lead around 90 minutes in. A commanding performance over the remainder of the stage saw them win by over a minute. That result elevated the #203 DKR GR Hilux into second, just seven seconds behind the overall leaders, Nasser Al-Attiyah and Fabian Lurquin for Dacia Sandriders.
Henk Lategan and Brett Cummings lost time due to two early punctures but battled back strongly. They moved into the top three in the second half of the stage and finished in second place. The #202 DKR GR Hilux is now fourth overall and just 19 secs off the podium.
Toby Price and Armand Monleón narrowly missed out on their first podium together, finishing fourth in the #204 DKR GR Hilux. A slow puncture after the pit stop zone hampered their challenge but they nevertheless ended a strong day by moving into seventh overall, less than three minutes behind the leader.
Yazeed Al Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk completed the podium in third place for Overdrive Racing, while Joao Ferreira and Filipe Palmeiro were fifth for TGR South Africa, meaning GR Hilux vehicles earned a clean sweep of the top five positions.
Tuesday’s Stage 3 features a total of 736 km of driving, including 422 km of competitive action on sandy tracks through a rocky landscape, which will make navigation particularly challenging.
Henk Lategan: “Me, Toby and Seth were driving together for most of the day, so it was a DKR GR Hilux train going through the stage, which was fun. We knew we had to push but unfortunately at around 15 km we had a puncture, so it was stressful like yesterday. We backed off and it was going well until 6 km before the pit stop zone, when we had our second puncture. Luckily after the pit stop zone we could get going and it was a good recovery after a tricky start.”
Seth Quintero: “This was a good day for us. We started off a little slow to make sure we got safely through the rocks, then we picked up more speed towards the end. We also had some amazing battles with my team-mates. When we’re battling together for the stage win, things are going well. It’s great for the TGR W2RC team to have such a strong day. The new car is really impressive, and it’s only going to get better. We’re ready to fight over the next 11 stages.”
Toby Price: “We nailed the first part of the stage, and it was looking good. But not long after the pit stop zone, we got a slow puncture, so we had to change the tyre. That was a bit annoying because I was being careful over the rocks as the terrain was brutal. But everything went well for the rest of the stage and we’re happy. The DKR GR Hilux feels amazing, Armand is doing an amazing job and to have all the TGR W2RC cars at the front on this stage is great. It’s still early days and we’re in the fight.”
Source: Toyota Gazoo Racing
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