While the Toyota Gazoo Racing South Africa (TGRSA) team found the 2024 Dakar Rally a tough one to contend with, it was the two rookies who showed that the future is bright.

Guy Botterill and Saood Variawa proved the value of TGRSA's commitment to the development of motorsport in South Africa, which provides a path from the Junior Academy through to Supa Cup and SATC, and on to rally-raid racing with the Dakar Rally as the ultimate goal.

Despite limited experience in the big Saudi Arabian dunes, Botterill and co-driver Brett Cummings recorded consistent stage results throughout the event, eventually finishing in sixth place in the overall standings after 12 tough stages of racing.

“I can’t believe we got to the end. To be in the top 10 and sixth is unbelievable," said Botterill.

With TGR achieving sixth, seventh and ninth places in the top 10, three other Toyota Hilux crews also attained positions in the top 10.

Variawa became one of the youngest works drivers in the history of the sport, bringing his GR IMT Hilux T1U home in 17th place overall, with Frenchman Francois Cazalet beside him in the car. The pair took a few stages to find their fee but once they settled into a rhythm, their pace was undeniable.

Variawa’s background is in track racing where he has raced a wide variety of formulas, despite his young age, including vying for the South African Touring Car Championship (SATC) title.

“It’s unbelievable. I think it’s 4 500km of pure racing. Super, super tough. Really, really the toughest race in the world. I didn’t expect anything like this but we made it to the finish. To be 18 and finish the Dakar in a factory team is incredible,” he said.

The two rookies were supported by veteran Dakar racer, Giniel de Villiers, and his co-driver, Dennis Murphy. De Villiers, a Dakar Rally winner, was hampered by navigational issues during the 2024 event which cost him significant time early in the race. He also struggled with punctures in the rocky stages and ended in seventh place, overall. De Villiers was instrumental in the development and testing of the GR IMT Hilux T1U.

In addition to the three South African drivers, TGR also included two international crews for Dakar 2024. While youngster Seth Quintero, from the US, has a fair amount of Dakar experience, the other signing Lucas Moraes was a rookie at Dakar 2023. His performance identified him as an emerging talent in the world of rally-raid racing and he was an ideal addition to the works team for 2024.

Moraes, from Brazil, was partnered with Spanish co-driver Armand Monleon. The pair showed exceptional pace and maturity throughout the event, winning stage three and moving into second place on the penultimate stage before disaster struck, costing them significant time and dropping them down to ninth place overall.

Seth Quintero and co-driver Dennis Zenz (Germany) started in fine form, however, they had a hard impact with a rock that damaged the twin-turbo V6 engine in their Toyota Hilux. The team was forced to fit a new engine, which incurred a massive penalty, and dropped the pair out of contention. They continued to compete for good stage results supporting their teammates with spare parts where needed.

By the time the dust settled over the last of Dakar 2024’s 12 stages, TGR had achieved sixth, seventh and ninth places in the top 10; while three other Toyota Hilux crews also attained positions in the top 10.

This brought the Toyota Hilux representation in the top 10 to 60%, underlining the quality, durability and reliability of the GR IMT Hilux T1U.

“It’s obviously not really the way we wanted it but we’re here, we finished. Thanks to the team, they did a great job. So yeah, we’re happy to be here. Another one done. Thanks also to Dennis, as well as all our mechanics that worked on the car. It was certainly a very tough one this year, but we’re very happy to be at the finish,” said de Villiers.