The 2025 South African Safari Rally, brought to you by TOYOTA GAZOO Racing, concluded with a demanding fifth stage, wrapping up six days of racing (including the Prologue) through some of the country’s most punishing terrain. TOYOTA GAZOO Racing South Africa (TGRSA) crews Guy Botterill and Dennis Murphy; and Saood Variawa and Francois Cazalet capped the event with determined performances on the final 111 km special stage around Sun City, bringing home valuable World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC) points in the process.
The stage covered 222 kilometres in total, featuring two liaison sections split by a high-speed special run through a mix of black sand, soft gravel, rocky outcrops, and dry savannah. Clear weather and mild temperatures prevailed, with dusty conditions making visibility challenging for crews further down the order.
Variawa and Cazalet were first out of the gates, following a commanding Stage 4 win. Opening the route proved a tall order, 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 5, 7min 31sec behind the leader. Despite the time loss, their pace across the week — including a stage win and multiple top performances — underscored their progress and potential at 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.”
Teammates Botterill and Murphy were also in the thick of the action. After rebounding strongly earlier in the week, they produced another clean run to finish 12th on the final stage, despite again 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.”
Reflecting on the rally’s strategic complexity, 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.”
Both TGRSA GR Hilux EVOs completed the event without major mechanical issues, further affirming the platform’s proven toughness and reliability in world-class conditions. The team’s consistency saw Variawa finish 12th overall, with Botterill just behind in 13th, both gaining critical experience and contributing to Toyota’s Manufacturers’ Championship lead.
Henk Lategan and Brett Cummings (Toyota GR Hilux EVO) won the race overall.
From a W2RC standpoint, Toyota continues to lead the Manufacturers’ standings on 311 points, ahead of The Dacia Sandriders and Ford M-Sport. 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 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.
South Africa Safari Rally 2025 – Stage 5 Results
| 1. | #200 | N. Al-Attiyah / E. Boulanger | (The Dacia Sandriders) | 1hour08min49sec |
| 2. | #203 | L. Moraes / A. Monleon | (TOYOTA GAZOO Racing) | +01:56 |
| 3. | #205 | H. Lategan / B. Cummings | (TOYOTA GAZOO Racing) | +02:00 |
| 4. | #209 | M. Serradori / L. Minaudier | (Team SRT) | +02:32 |
| 5. | #225 | C. Sainz / L. Cruz | (Ford M-Sport) | +02:48 |
| 6. | #219 | S. Loeb / F. Lurquin | (The Dacia Sandriders) | +03:00 |
| 7. | #277 | G. Woolridge / B. Dreyer | (Neil Woolridge Motorsport) | +03:03 |
| 8. | #239 | F. Blignaut / B. Blignaut | (Team Hilux Rally-Raid) | +03:16 |
| 9. | #227 | N. Roma / A. Haro | (Ford M-Sport) | +04:32 |
| 10. | #206 | G. de Villiers / L. Pienaar | (Team Hilux Rally-Raid) | +04:50 |
| 12. | #211 | G. Botterill / D. Murphy | (TOYOTA GAZOO Racing) | +04:58 |
| 13. | #204 | S. Quintero / D. Zenz | (TOYOTA GAZOO Racing) | +05:31 |
| 18. | #212 | S. Variawa / F. Cazalet | (TOYOTA GAZOO Racing) | +07:31 |
South African Safari Rally 2025 – Standings after Stage 5
| 1. | #205 | H. Lategan / B. Cummings | (TOYOTA GAZOO Racing) | 12hour10min42sec |
| 2. | #219 | S. Loeb / F. Lurquin | (The Dacia Sandriders) | +01:39 |
| 3. | #203 | L. Moraes / A. Monleon | (TOYOTA GAZOO Racing) | +02:55 |
| 4. | #277 | G. Woolridge / B. Dreyer | (Neil Woolridge Motorsport) | +04:48 |
| 5. | #225 | C. Sainz / L. Cruz | (Ford M-Sport) | +05:15 |
| 6. | #204 | S. Quintero / D. Zenz | (TOYOTA GAZOO Racing) | +06:19 |
| 7. | #227 | N. Roma / A. Haro | (Ford M-Sport) | +06:45 |
| 8. | #242 | D. Schröder / H. Köhne | (PS Laser Racing) | +09:04 |
| 9. | #222 | G. De Mevius / X. Panseri | (X-Raid Mini JCW) | +11:44 |
| 10. | #200 | N. Al-Attiyah / E. Boulanger | (The Dacia Sandriders) | +11:48 |
| 12. | #212 | S. Variawa / F. Cazalet | (TOYOTA GAZOO Racing) | +19:54 |
| 13. | #211 | G. Botterill / D. Murphy | (TOYOTA GAZOO Racing) | +20:59 |
World Rally-Raid Results after Stage 5 SA Safari Rally (Driver)
| 1. | N. Al-Attiyah | The Dacia Sandriders | 114 |
| 2. | H. Lategan | TOYOTA GAZOO Racing | 94 |
| 3. | L. Moraes | TOYOTA GAZOO Racing | 89 |
| 4. | S. Quintero | TOYOTA GAZOO Racing | 79 |
| 5. | Y. Al Rajhi | Overdrive Racing | 73 |
| 6. | J. Yacopini | Overdrive Racing | 46 |
| 7. | M. Ekström | Ford M-Sport | 45 |
| 8. | M. Guthrie | Ford M-Sport | 44 |
| 9. | S. Loeb | The Dacia Sandriders | 40 |
| 10. | J. Ferreira | X-Raid Mini JCW Team | 40 |
| 12. | S. Variawa | TOYOTA GAZOO Racing | 32 |
| 21. | G. Botterill | TOYOTA GAZOO Racing | 14 |
World Rally-Raid Results after Stage 5 SA Safari Rally (Manufacturer)
| 1. | TOYOTA GAZOO RACING | 311 |
| 2. | The Dacia Sandriders | 219 |
| 3. | Ford M-Sport | 190 |
Published by: Karabo Sethusha
MSA Publishes media releases from a host of different sources on our website as a service to the sport. It is not practically possible to vet/approve every release that is published. Some news items and articles are written by correspondents and do not necessarily represent MSA’s views.