After two weeks of punishing dunes, rocky trails, and Marathon stages across Saudi Arabia, the South African team returns home with stage victories, top-ten finishes and lessons that will fuel their next Dakar challenge.
Yanbu, Saudi Arabia (19 January 2026) – Just over 7,000 kilometres and 13 gruelling stages. TOYOTA GAZOO RACING SA team has wrapped up Dakar 2026 in Yanbu, and what a ride it’s been. For two weeks, crews battled rocky terrain, deep sand, Marathon stages, and the harsh Saudi Arabian sun, pushing both man and machine to the limit.
Despite the challenges, all three TGRSA GR Hilux crews crossed the finish line. Saood Variawa and Francois Cazalet led the charge, with Variawa securing a stage victory on Stage 8 and consistently placing inside the top ten, ultimately finishing as the top South African driver in 10th overall. Saood reflected on this milestone with gratitude.
“It’s my third Dakar and my third finish. We had the pace to be in the top five all the time, we won a stage and that brought confidence back into the team. Some things were out of my control and cost us a lot of time, but I’ve grown a lot and the results are starting to show.”
Francois also shared the same sentiment.
“Dakar is always tricky and different from what you expect, but we pushed until the end and did it clean.”
Joao Ferreira and Filipe Palmeiro endured a rollercoaster campaign, repeatedly hampered by punctures and a collision with a rock during the second Marathon stage, which caused significant damage and time loss. But even with setbacks, their speed and skill were undeniable.
Guy Botterill and Oriol Mena delivered some of the most consistent pace of the team, regularly running inside the top ten. A few mishaps kept them from an even higher finish.
Guy reflects on the challenges, and how they still kept going.
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“We were in the top ten almost every stage and then got caught out by a few mishaps. That’s Dakar. It’s a long race, and things do go wrong. But the pace is there, the car was strong and there’s a lot to build on.”
Behind the scenes, Team Principal Shameer Variawa praised the crew’s effort and the reliability of the GR Hilux cars.
“The pace has been good, and we didn’t have many mechanical problems, which shows the work the team put in.”
After such an epic effort, the South African crew is now on their way home, ready to land and celebrate this remarkable achievement with family, friends, and fans who have been following every dune and stage.
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