Dakar Rally racers Henk Lategan and Brett Cummings in the car class have flown the South African flag high with a win at stage 5!
Saudi Arabia (06 January 2022) – South African racers Henk Lategan and Brett Cummings for Toyota Gazoo Racing have earned 1st place during stage 5 of the Dakar Rally.
Racing a Toyota GR DKR Hilux for Toyota Gazoo Racing, Henk Lategan drives, joined by Brett Cummings as his co-driver. Henk started his Dakar journey in 2021, while this is Brett’s fourth time in the race.
Henk and Brett were forced to abandon their race at stage 5 during the 2021 Dakar rally, making this win even sweeter. Not only were they able to complete stage 5, but they won it too! Aided by Brett, who has incredible experience at the rally, the pair have had a good ride to date.
They finished stage 3 on a high with a second-place finish but then dropped to a 73rd place finish during stage 4 and then onwards to first in stage 5.
When asked about his 2022 race, Henk shared that he was very happy with the car’s capabilities calling it spectacular.
“I am looking forward to driving the new T1+ on the 2022 Dakar, especially after not having the new car due to my commitments in the SACCS (South African Rally Championship). Though I have done quite a bit of testing, and the new tyres and suspension are quite spectacular.” – Henk Lategan
A total of 3 South African cars earned top 10 rankings for stage 5. Including Henk and Brett at 1st, Giniel De Villiers and Dennis Murphy came in 7th, and Christiaan Visser and Rodney Burke finished 10th.
You can see all the South African racers here.
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