Racing provides a good demonstration of the performance and durability of vehicles, and many manufacturers participate in various motorsport competitions for that purpose. Additionally, the participation also serves as a testing ground as the conditions are extreme, whether they are on a racing circuit or off-road in the desert.
Toyota has long been involved in motorsports and its official team – TOYOTA GAZOO Racing (TGR) – has been active in the top-level events like the World Endurance Championship (WEC) and World Rally Championship (WRC). In recent years, TGR has also given attention to the Dakar Rally, considered the toughest in the world. To date, it has scored one overall victory in the event which goes back to 1979. That was in 2019 when the route was run in South America after the original west African route was unsafe due to the presence of terrorists.
For the 2022, TGR will be trying hard again and aim to score a milestone victory in the Dakar Rally to complement the victories in the WEC and WRC. It is preparing a 4-crew team for the event which will take place in Saudi Arabia from January 2nd, 2022. Building on the experience from this year’s and last year’s events where the team’s best result was second place, TGR will continue to field a mix of experienced specialists.
As in 2021, the works team will be spearheaded by Nasser Al-Attiyah (the winner in 2019) and navigator Mathieu Baumel. Giniel de Villiers will be partnered with navigator Dennis Murphy; Henk Lategan and Brett Cummings will return for their second Dakar; and Shameer Variawa will now be partnered with navigator Danie Stassen.
The team will also be fielding an all-new Toyota GR DKR Hilux T1+, which conforms to the updated regulations for the T1 category. The prototype car, in temporary raw carbonfibre finish, is currently undergoing testing and will be shown to the public later in 2021.
Qatari Nasser and Frenchman Mathieu have won in the Andalucia Rally as well as the Baja Spain Aragon. The pair, who won the FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies on 3 consecutive times, will be aiming to add a fourth Dakar victory to their resume in 2022.
Giniel and Dennis, both from South Africa, have competed successfully in the South African Cross-Country Series (SACCS), which also serves as a testbed for the continued development of the Toyota Dakar Hilux. They were in the lead of the title chase after 3 of the seven rounds that make up the series.
With a crash on Stage 5 of Dakar 2021 forcing South Africans Henk and Brett to retire after posting highly competitive times on Stages 3 and 4, they will be keen to show their pace, and mix it up with the more experienced crews ahead of them. Henk’s Dakar debut drew global attention, and the young driver from Johannesburg, who has won the SACCS crown multiple times, will be looking to build significantly on that experience.
Following TGR’s philosophy of ‘making ever-better cars’, the team has continued to refine the Hilux and the latest version will be used for the 2022 event. This version of the Dakar Hilux has been developed based on the latest rules. It will share components with the race-proven Hilux that was first introduced in 2018, and won the race in 2019, but will feature a host of improvements including bigger running gear – tyres of 37 inches, up from 32 inches; together with a tread increase from 245 mm to 320 mm. The new truck also has more suspension travel with the previous limit of 280 mm now increased to 350 mm.
Under the bonnet will be a powerful 3.5 litre twin-turbocharged V6 engine, also found in the latest Land Cruiser 300. In standard form, the engine produces 415 ps at 5,200 rpm and 650 Nm of torque from 2,000 rpm but the more developed engine for the Dakar truck will certainly be significantly higher.
TOYOTA GAZOO Racing takes first win of the new Hypercar era of the World Endurance Championship
