Toyota Gazoo Racing caps off Safari Rally with a strong finish
In addition to the pair of South African entered GR Hiluxes, overall victory went to the factory Gazoo Racing team of Henk Lategan/Brett Cummings.
Saood Variawa and Francois Cazalet completed the first-ever South African Safari Rally in 12th place overall for Toyota Gazoo Racing South Africa. Picture: Toyota Gazoo Racing
The inaugural South African Safari Rally, round three of the World Rally-Raid Championship, oncluded with the fifth stage on Saturday (24 May), wrapping up six days of racing through some of the country's most punishing terrain.
Final push
Toyota Gazoo Racing South Africa crews Guy Botterill and Dennis Murphy, and Saood Variawa and Francois Cazalet capped the event with a double top 15 finish on the on the final 111 km special stage around Sun City.
The stage covered 222 km in total, featuring two liaison sections split by a high-speed special run through a mix of sand, soft gravel, rocky outcrops, and dry savannah.
Opening the route after winning the fourth stage proved a tall order for teenager Variawa and his French co-driver Cazalet as they struggled to maintain pace.
'I gave it everything,' said Variawa. 'I pushed at yesterday's winning pace, but opening the road makes it incredibly difficult. There's just no line to follow, and by the time a few cars are through, the route changes completely. We saw corners become straights just a few cars back.'
ALSO READ: Toyota Gazoo Racing ends Safari Rally fourth stage on a high
The duo finished 18th on Stage 5, seven min 31 sec behind the leader. 'All in all, it was an amazing event,' Variawa added. 'The scenery, the fans, the stages, everything was fantastic. We were fighting with the world's best, and it's clear we're moving in the right direction.'
Teammates Botterill and Murphy also rebounding strongly after a tough start to the event. They produced another clean run to finish 12th on the final stage.
'We had a really successful weekend overall,' said Botterill. 'We managed two 1-2 stage finishes as a team, which was fantastic. The pace is definitely there; we just need to cut out the small mistakes and learn how to better manage the road order strategy in these world-level events.'
Reflecting on the rally's, Botterill noted: 'Nobody won a stage starting in the top 10 this week. You really want to be starting fifth or sixth every day, but it's hard to get that balance right. The guys who've been doing this for a while know how to play the game. We're learning fast, and we'll come back stronger.'
All round success for Toyota
Both Toyota Gazoo Racing South Africa GR Hilux EVOs completed the event without issues Variawa/Cazalet finishing 12th overall and with Botterill/Murphy 13th.
In the overall standings, works Toyota Gazoo Racing team Henk Lategan and Brett Cummings took the victory ahead of the Dacia Sandrider of nine-times world rally champion Sébastien Loeb and Fabian Lurquin, and the second Gazoo Racing Hilux EVO of Brazilian Lucas Moraes and Spanish co-driver Armand Monleon.
In the drivers' classification, Variawa edges closer to the top ten, while Botterill adds valuable points to his international campaign.
With the South African round complete, the focus shifts to the next round in Portugal on 22-28 September.
Overall Results
#205 Henk Lategan/Brett Cummings – Toyota Gazoo Racing Hilux DKR EVO #219 Sébastien Loeb/Fabian Lurquin – Dacia Sandrider #203 Lucas Moraes/Armand Monleon – Toyota Gazoo Racing Hilux DKR EVO #277 Gareth Woolridge /Boyd Dreyer – Castrol Neil Woolridge Motorsport Ford Ranger T1+ #225 Carlos Sainz/Lucas Cruz – Ford M-Sport Raptor DKR #204 Seth Quintero/Dennis Zenz – Toyota Gazoo Racing Hilux DKR EVO #227 Nani Roma/Alex Haro – Ford M-Sport Raptor DKR #242 Daniel Schröder/Henry Köhne – PS Laser Racing Volkswagen Amarok #222 Guillaume De Mévius/Xavier Panseri – X-Raid Mini John Cooper Works #200 Nasser Al-Attiyah/Édouard Boulanger – Dacia Sandrider
ALSO READ: Stage 3: No let up for Toyota Gazoo Racing on South African Safari
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