The Dakar Heroes that made history for South Africa at the 2025 Dakar Rally were welcomed home in the warmest way with a fantastic performance for the racers at O.R Tambo International Airport in Jozi!
Johannesburg, South Africa (23 January 2025) — O.R Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg came alive on Wednesday, 22 January, as fans, families and friends waited in collective anticipation for South Africa’s Dakar heroes to emerge from the arrivals gates.
The recent 2025 Dakar Rally season proved to be even more of a feat than usual (which says a lot, considering the Rally is already known as the world’s toughest). However, South African racers hoisted our flag high in Saudi Arabia, defeating sand dunes, putting endurance to the utmost test, and making motorsport history this month, which is in the process of it all.
Pilot Henk Lategan, along with co-pilot Brett Cummings from Toyota Gazoo Racing South Africa, managed to storm to a historic second-place finish behind Saudi Arabia’s own Yazeed Al-Rajhi in what was a goose-bump-inducing finish to the rally-to-end-all-rallys!
Also representing South Africa were numerous other brave racers, each of whom contributed to a fantastic 2025 Dakar season.
As such, welcoming the Dakar heroes home was a top priority for many motorsport fans in South Africa. An electric experience, the homecoming saw signings, piques at the famous Dakar trophies, and, to top it all off, a powerful performance that made us think: ‘There’s no better place to be welcomed back to than South Africa’.
Watch: Dakar Heroes Receive the Warmest Welcome in Johannesburg
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Sources: Various (Linked Above)
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