Dakar 2025: SA proves to be a force to be reckoned with
The Dakar needs little introduction, and for us in the South of Africa, it is one of the few international motoring events where our involvement stands out. The start of the 2025 Dakar brought to light a number of questions, all of which were to be answered out in the desert. As the pack embarks on the closing stages of the race, the start proved that the South African-made Hiluxes are a cut above the rest in reliability and pace, and impressive performances from local drivers are stirring the appetite of the South African rally fan.
The opening stages of the Dakar offered rocky terrain and apocalyptic landscapes. With a big race ahead, it lined up with tradition for drivers to lean more on the conservative side during the opening stages, but right out of the gate, spectacular incidents were occurring almost constantly. The rocky terrain was a brutal introduction to the 2025 Dakar, and it's here that the reliability game became ever more real.
The Dacia Sandriders is a new team to the sport and offers a futuristic car to an otherwise Toyota-heavy lineup. There was a massive sense of initial confidence early in the Dakar from the Dacia team, but the first half of the race proved to be more rugged than anticipated with almost constant punctures and breakdowns within the team. Although the car of choice might look the part, the tried, tested, and South African-built Hilux offers a greater form of confidence and bush engineering experience, winning seven of the eight stages up to this point.
In terms of local Toyotas, Saood Variawa started strong. His rookie performance last year showed a promising future for the youngster, but his inexperience proved to be his downfall; however, he has a new attitude and level of drive, which he proudly demonstrated by taking a podium finish on the first stage. Stage two proved to be less promising as our local legend Giniel de Villiers got a close-up look at Saood's front bumper, and it was a collision we as South Africans hate to see.
Although the events of the second stage would likely put a stop to most drivers' confidence, Saood demonstrated pure racing driver mentality and set his tyres alight the following day. Taking first place in stage three and becoming the youngest driver ever to win a stage at the Dakar at just 19 years of age, adding yet another notch to the South African belt of recent international sporting wins.
If you are new to the world of Dakar, being quick is only an element in an otherwise complex racing equation. Another Toyota Gazoo Racing team representing South Africa provided a flawless demonstration of consistency and dependability, which is arguably the most crucial factor in W2RC. Henk Lategan and Brett Cummings hadn’t won a stage up until now, yet their impressive consistency to finish well every day has provided them the overall lead from day two.
Henk had yet to win a stage until the eighth stage, but in the final stages of the competition, it wouldn't be right to lead a Dakar for such an extended period of time without a top-of-the-podium finish, and that victory was finally achieved on stage eight. Hot on his tail, with five minutes to spare, Dakar legend Yazeed Al Rajhi clawed his way up the leaderboard in his Overdrive Toyota, followed by the impressively quick Ford M-Sport driven by Mattias Ekstrom.
The Dacias are one car down at this point with two still in the running, but their more fragile platform is proving to remain problematic as we head into the closing stages. I have always had a soft spot for the Minis, as their unorthodox styling is a healthy refresher and addition to diversify the Toyota-heavy competition pool. The initial stages offered a promising look at the JCW's ability, but reliability also proved to be a crippling factor in its Dakar performance thus far.
The Century Racing name hasn't received much attention this year, and while they are still competing, it appears that the Dacia Sandriders team has stolen some space in their spotlight.
As the eighth stage comes to an end, it's exciting to see a fairly new face at the Dakar and a local one at that in the lead. Henk will need to continue his drive for consistency and reliability in the coming four stages, but his performance thus far is nothing short of incredible. As for the remaining teams, it's clear that the Toyotas are the cars to beat this year, but the Fords have made an elevated effort over last year's performance and will need to be watched closely in the coming days.
Trucks are an element of the Dakar that is so undeniably cool but hides in the shadows of the more popular bikes and cars. However, this year's MM Technology team is having a blast in the lead, with a 02h08m02s lead over the field. Powered by a team of three, Martin Macik, Frantisek Tomasek, and David Svanda, this Czech truck has offered a physics-defying performance so far and is a spectacle you just can't miss.
As for the remaining race, the racers left the rocks behind toward the end of the first half, and the dunes are now the reoccurring obstacle. Many accidents have occurred up to this point, and I feel that this is only a glimpse of what's to come. It’s an exciting year of Dakar racing and one that the South Africans should be proud of in both engineering and driving. But the Dakar is full of curveballs, so we are glued to our seats as the racing continues.
Find the live Dakar results here.