A South African built Toyota Hilux has won the 2019 Dakar Rally, with Qatar’s Nasser Al-Attiyah at the wheel, he cruised to victory.
Historic First Dakar Win for Toyota
It was the third Dakar title for Al-Attiyah and a historic first Dakar crown for Toyota, in what’s widely known as the world’s toughest rally. The race took place in South America for the eleventh consecutive year, and after 10 stages of tough competition, the victors can finally sit back and celebrate their wins.
The Dakar features events in three divisions -cars, bikes, and trucks. It’s an off-road endurance race with a dramatic route of over 3,000 miles of tough desert terrain, including crossing massive dunes. For the first time in its long history, it was run entirely in one country –Peru, starting and finishing in Lima. In the car division, Al-Attiyah was dominant in his Toyota Gazoo Racing Hiluxpickup, leading every stage except the second day when South African teammate de Villiers was ahead. This is his third Dakar victory -his previous wins were with Volkswagenin 2011 and Mini in 2015.
Toyota –Favorites from the get-go
This is definitely a milestone win for Toyota Gazoo Racing, who was viewed as one of the favorites from the outset. The team Al-Attiyahand co-driver Mathieu Baumel claimed no mistakes were made during the entire rally. From day three they were in the lead and managed to build on that lead, taking no risks in the final stage. The two Toyota Hilux crews completed the entire stage together for a dramatic team finish.
Happy to Win for Toyota
“We are so happy to win the Dakar,” said Al-Attiyah, “not only for ourselves but also for Toyota and the entire Toyota Gazoo Racing SA team. Everyone has worked so hard for so long, and really deserves this.”
X-raid Mini driver Nani Roma easily secured the second spot, taking his fourth Dakar podium finish since his 2014 triumph.
Will Dakar Return to Africa?
The Dakar rally was moved to South America in 2009 because of security threats in Senegal. But the rally organizers are discussing the possibilities of returning the famous event to Africa, speaking with Algerian authorities, and looking at other African nations also.
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