XPOSURE by VMAG Looking for XPOSURE? Join the Club!Six stages down, sand in places sand should never be, and Toyota Gazoo Racing South Africa rolls into the Dakar Rally Rest Day in Riyadh with all three crews very much still swinging.
If Week 1 of Dakar was a boxing match, it wasn’t about landing knockouts—it was about staying on your feet. TGRSA did exactly that.
Saood Variawa & Francois Cazalet (#213) sit a solid 11th overall. The pace has been there—front-of-the-field stuff—including a flirtation with the lead on Stage 2. Punctures and fuel maths had other ideas, but being under half an hour from the lead at this point is Dakar code for “still dangerous.”
João Ferreira & Filipe Palmeiro (#240) have quietly been the smooth operators. Two top-five stage finishes, clean dune work, and pace that says “don’t blink in Week 2.” Their biggest enemy so far? Sharp things pretending to be sand. They head into the second half 12th overall and very much in attack mode.
Guy Botterill & Oriol Mena (#218) had a Week 1 that tested patience, power steering, and navigational Zen. Then they hit back—with a Stage 3 podium and a steady run of top-10 finishes. Momentum restored, confidence rebuilt, and Dakar respect re-earned.
While the drivers grab a breather, the rest day is anything but restful for the crew. According to Team Manager Zaheer Bodhanya, this is where the cars get the full spa treatment—minus the cucumber water. Drivelines checked, fasteners replaced, everything tightened, tested, and prepared for what Dakar throws next. Because Dakar always throws something.
Next up is Stage 7: Riyadh to Wadi Ad Dawasir.
That’s 462 km of special stage, plus 414 km of liaison, and a whole lot more dunes. Translation: tyre strategy, navigation, and stamina move to the top of the priority list.
Week 1 was about survival.
Week 2? That’s where Dakar starts separating the still running from the still winning.
And TGRSA is very much still both.
Images : TGRSA