Latest news with #2025SouthAfricanSafariRally
IOL News
26-05-2025
- Automotive
- IOL News
Toyota Gazoo Racing SA's GR Hilux EVOs shine at the 2025 South African Safari Rally
Guy Botterill and Dennis Murphy and Saood Variawa and Francois Cazalet learnt valuable lessons at the 2025 South African Safari Rally. Image: Supplied It was lessons well learnt as the two Toyota Gazoo Racing South Africa (TGRSA) GR Hilux EVOs wrapped up the 2025 South African Safari Rally held around the Sun City Resort in the North West Province at the weekend. The event, sponsored by Toyota Gazoo Racing, was the third round of the World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC). Wrapping up six days (including the Prologue) of demanding competition, Guy Botterill and Dennis Murphy and Saood Variawa and Francois Cazalet concluded the race with determined performances on the final 111-kilometre special stage around Sun City, bringing home valuable World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC) points in the process. Pushing hard The stage covered 222 kilometres, featuring two liaison sections split by a high-speed special run through a mix of black sand, soft gravel, rocky outcrops, and dry savannah. Variawa and Cazalet were first out of the gates, following their Stage four win. Opening the route proved to be a challenge, as expected, and they struggled to maintain their winning 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.' The young duo finished 18th on Stage five, 7min 31sec behind the leader. Despite the time loss, their pace across the week, including a stage win, underscored their progress and potential at the world level. '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.' The Toyota Gazoo Racing South Africa teams now focus on the upcoming rally in Portugal. Image: Supplied Clean run Teammates Botterill and Murphy were also going hell for leather. After rebounding strongly earlier in the week, they produced another clean run to finish 12th on the final stage, despite facing the complexities of a less-than-ideal road position. '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. '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.' Both TGRSA GR Hilux EVOs completed the event without major mechanical issues. Good showing The team's consistency saw Variawa finish 12th overall, with Botterill just behind in 13th, both gaining valuable experience and contributing to Toyota's Manufacturers' Championship lead. From a W2RC standpoint, Toyota leads the Manufacturers' standings on 311 points, ahead of The Dacia Sandriders (219) and Ford M-Sport (190). In the Drivers' classification, Variawa currently lying 12th edges closer to the top ten, while Botterill in 21st place, adds valuable points to his international campaign. The South African pair of Henk Lategan and Brett Cummings (Toyota GR Hilux EVO) racing for Toyota Gazoo Europe, won the race overall. With the South African round of the W2RC now complete, the focus shifts to the next round in Portugal, where both TGRSA crews will look to build on the experience and pace shown on home soil.
IOL News
23-05-2025
- Automotive
- IOL News
Navigational hurdles challenge Toyota Gazoo Racing SA in intense third stage of South African Safari Rally
The third day of the 2025 South African Safari Rally presented another demanding test of navigation and endurance. The event, sponsored by Toyota Gazoo Racing, is the third round of the World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC). After a cold night in the Marathon bivouac outside the Town of Stella, the Toyota Gazoo Racing South Africa (TGRSA) teams had a tough day on the third and Marathon stage of the 2025 South African Safari Rally around Sun City in the North West Province. Demanding day The day presented another demanding test of navigation and endurance, with both crews working hard to overcome the challenge of starting near the front of the field. The stage covered 518 kilometres in total, with a 246 kilometre competitive section, preceded by a nine kilometre liaison, and followed by a 263 kilometre road section. Terrain conditions were as tricky as any seen so far in the rally, with vast grasslands, soft sand, rocky ridges, and an absence of clearly defined tracks, especially in the early parts of the route. For the crews tasked with opening the road, the difficulty was compounded by the low morning sun and limited reference points in the open veld. Stress Guy Botterill and Dennis Murphy, fresh off their win on Stage two, their first ever in the World Rally-Raid Championship, were first into the special on Stage three. Despite the navigational stress of opening the route, the pair kept things tidy and pushed through the toughest terrain with a clean run. 'Today was always going to be tough,' said Botterill. 'At the driver briefing, we were warned that the navigation would be even harder than Wednesday, and it definitely was. I think we did a fantastic job today. 'Although our times don't show it, I actually think today's drive was better than yesterday's. We drove close to 100 kilometres with no road at all, which was tricky to navigate. Dennis did a great job, no punctures, and we kept it all clean and tidy.' The pair finished the stage in 18th place, 10min 10sec off the fastest time that saw them maintain 15th position in the overall standings, 20min 25sec off the rally lead.
IOL News
21-05-2025
- Automotive
- IOL News
Tough start for Toyota Gazoo Racing in the 2025 South African Safari Rally
It was a tough stage for Toyota Gazoo Racing South Africa (TGRSA) in the 2025 South African Safari Rally. The event, sponsored by Toyota Gazoo Racing, is the third round of the World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC) and brings together the world's best off-road racers for the first time in Southern Africa. It was a tough outing for Toyota Gazoo Racing South Africa (TGRSA) in the 557 kilometre first stage of the 2025 South African Safari Rally around Sun City in the North West Province. It followed a strong showing in the nine-kilometre Prologue, where Guy Botterill and Dennis Murphy posted the second-fastest time overall, just one second off the leaders. Saood Variawa and co-driver Francois Cazalet, meanwhile, initially set the fastest time on the prologue, but a jump-start penalty dropped them down the order, and they started down in the field, 56 seconds behind the fastest crew. Stage one featured 262 kilometres of competitive racing and 295 kilometres of liaison sections, looping westward from Sun City before returning to the bivouac. The route had dry conditions, temperatures in the high 20s, and mixed surfaces ranging from dry, dusty tracks to isolated muddy patches. Unraveled For Botterill and Murphy, what began as a promising day unravelled as navigational difficulties set in. 'It was a tricky stage for us,' Botterill explained. 'The car was really good - we just struggled a bit with navigation, and that basically sums up the day.' The pair also received a time penalty for missing a waypoint, ultimately finishing the stage in 15th place, 10min 07sec off the lead. Reflecting on the difference between local and international rally-raid formats, Botterhill said: 'Navigation is very different to what we're used to in South Africa. Here, it's all roadbook-based with no external markers. "When you make a mistake, it's hard to recover. That made today particularly tricky.'
