TOYOTA GAZOO Racing South Africa (TGRSA) is primed for another monumental campaign at the Dakar Rally, with four exceptionally capable crews preparing to take on the 2026 edition of the world’s most demanding motorsport event. This year’s rally, which runs from 3–17 January, presents a route of formidable length and variety, nearly matching the record for special stage kilometres seen since the Dakar moved to Saudi Arabia.
For 2026, TGRSA will field a quartet of proven competitors:
• #211 – Juan Cruz Yacopini (ARG) / Daniel Oliveras (ESP)
• #213 – Saood Variawa (RSA) / Francois Cazalet (FRA)
• #218 – Guy Botterill (RSA) / Oriol Mena (ESP)
• #240 – João Ferreira (POR) / Filipe Palmeiro (POR)
All four crews will race the latest evolution of the GR Hilux IMT Evo – a machine refined relentlessly throughout 2025 to sharpen durability, handling, and outright performance. Confidence within the squad is high, bolstered by Saood Variawa and Francois Cazalet’s victorious 2025 South African Rally-Raid Championship (SARRC) campaign. While Yacopini and Oliveras were also recently crowned as the FIA’s World Baja Cup champions after winning the Dubai International Baja – clearly showing they have the pace and experience to make a meaningful contribution to TOYOTA Gazoo Racing SA’s Dakar 2026 campaign. Both these championship wins underscore the depth of preparation across the team.
TGRSA Team Principal Shameer Variawa expressed confidence in the team’s readiness for the 2026 challenge: “The team has worked incredibly hard throughout 2025, both in competition and behind the scenes, to ensure we arrive at Dakar with a package capable of performing from Day 1. Our testing programme with the latest GR Hilux IMT Evo has been extensive, and we’ve refined every area we possibly can. Dakar is unlike anything else in motorsport, but I believe we’re going into this year’s race with a strong, united team and four highly capable crews.”
Toyota South Africa Motors Vice-President of Marketing, Glenn Crompton, highlighted the wider significance of Toyota’s involvement in the Dakar Rally: “Dakar is more than a race for us – it is the ultimate proving ground for the Hilux brand. The environment is harsh, the distances extreme, and the conditions unpredictable. It gives us an unmatched platform to demonstrate the Quality, Durability and Reliability that define Hilux, while also helping our engineers to keep building ever-better cars. At the same time, the event resonates deeply with fans around the world. It reflects a spirit of adventure and perseverance that aligns perfectly with Toyota’s values. We are proud of the role TGRSA plays on this global stage, and we look forward to another exciting chapter in 2026.”
The 2026 Dakar Rally promises an intense test of endurance, adaptability, and mental resilience. Though the famed Empty Quarter does not feature this year – something many competitors may quietly appreciate – the race more than compensates with expansive stretches of sand, technical tracks, and a near-record distance of competitive kilometres.
The organisers have placed significant emphasis on balance. Competitors will face a fast-changing blend of terrain, yet they will also benefit from a more considered rhythm to the event:
• Fewer bivouacs, meaning support teams remain fresher and better prepared for the daily servicing assault.
• Two marathon stages, a first for the Saudi-based Dakar – one in each week of the rally. These require crews to stay overnight in isolated bivouacs with no external mechanical support, making mechanical sympathy and strategic decision-making crucial.
• Intense stages offset by opportunities to regroup, particularly around the rest day in Riyadh on 10 January, without the organisers striving for absolute symmetry in stage design.
The result is a rally that rewards raw speed and precision but demands patience, discipline, and resilience.
The 2026 Dakar begins where the 2023 Sea Camp once stood – Yanbu, on the tranquil shores of the Red Sea. Dakar competitors know the area well: it formed part of the decisive stages in 2021 and hosted the finale of the 2024 edition. For 2026, Yanbu once again serves as the launch pad for a vast clockwise loop around Saudi Arabia and the finish venue two weeks later.
The rally will unfold as follows:
• 3 January: Start podium, opening ceremony & Prologue – Yanbu
• 4 January: Stage 1 begins as the race pushes north
• 10 January: Rest day – Riyadh
• 17 January: Final stage and finish podium – Yanbu
Across 13 stages, the route sweeps north from Yanbu before curling east and south, eventually bending westwards again to return to the Red Sea coast. Every kilometre will challenge competitors with fast gravel tracks, rolling dunes, rocky passages, and demanding navigation. And with the second marathon stage looming near the end, fortunes could shift dramatically in the final days.
TGRSA’s preparations for Dakar 2026 have been extensive. The 2025 development cycle saw the GR Hilux IMT Evo refined for even greater robustness, improved cockpit comfort, and enhanced performance across variable sand conditions—essential attributes for a rally shaped by diversity rather than singular extremes.
Each of the four TGRSA crews brings key values and experience to the team:
• Yacopini is an experienced Dakar campaigner, with multiple Argentine championships to his name. Partnered with Oliveras, the pair bring a wealth of proven race experience and pace to the mix.
• Variawa and Cazalet, reigning SARRC champions, bring momentum and confidence.
• Botterill and Mena offer consistency, speed, and significant Dakar experience.
• Ferreira and Palmeiro contribute European rally-raid pedigree and proven navigational expertise.
Together, the four crews represent one of the strongest TGRSA line-ups yet assembled. With the latest Hilux IMT Evo underneath them and a route designed to challenge every facet of endurance racing, the team is ready to confront whatever the 2026 Dakar may hold.
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