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• Toyota Gazoo Racing took victory in stage 2 of the Dakar rally.
• The team had mixed results as several of its crews suffered setbacks.
• Nasser Al-Attiyah and Mathieu Baumel are in third place overall.
• For more motorsports stories, visit www.Wheels24.co.za
Stage 2 of the 2021 Dakar brought mixed results for Toyota Gazoo Racing. Nasser Al-Attiyah and Mathieu Baumel won the 477 km long event, while Giniel de Villiers and Alex Haro lost significant time due to navigation problems. Overall, Al-Attiyah / Baumel are now in third place overall, trailing rally leader Stephane Peterhansel (Mini) by 9min 14sec in the overall standings.
The Qatari Hilux driver was on the warpath from the start of Stage 2, which led the rally from Bisha city to Wadi Ad-Dawasir, propelling his South African-made Toyota Hilux to a stage victory in a time of 4 h 03 min 14 s. Significantly, this was 2min 35sec faster than Peterhansel’s time, and 9min 17sec faster than defending champion Carlos Sainz (Mini), who won the opening stage.
Glyn Hall, Toyota Gazoo Racing team principal, said after all four cars returned safely to the bivouac after the stage: “Nasser was absolutely on it today. He pushed really hard throughout the stage and really made no mistakes, with Mathieu doing a great job. Without punctures, he was able to match the pace of the two Minis and finish ahead of both. This keeps him in the center of the fight at the front of the field. “
De Villiers and Haro were disappointed with the Toyota Hilux No. 304 when they lost 45 minutes and 22 seconds on the stage due to a navigation error. They had a lot of pace in the middle part of the timed section, but in the end, they slipped to 23rd in the overall rankings after a time penalty for missing a benchmark. The duo will now have to fight their way through the race.
Rookie Henk Lategan described Stage 2 as “another very long day” at the Dakar as the double South African Cross Country Champion (SACCS) discovers what the world’s toughest automotive event is all about. Still, Lategan and his navigator, Brett Cummings, managed to record the fourteenth fastest time on stage, despite getting stuck on the first dune they encountered. They lost more time navigating, but matched the pace of the leaders when they found themselves in clean air.
Hall continued: “Sure, Henk had a difficult day at the office, but he is here primarily to learn about the Dakar. As such he is certainly overcoming the difficult kilometers under his belt, and I am happy that he is making progress on the steep corner of learning that the Dakar demands “.
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Toyota Gazoo Racing at the 2021 Dakar rally
Delicate soft sand
Shameer Variawa and Dennis Murphy had a long day on Stage 2. The pair got badly stuck in the soft dunes near the start of the stage and were forced to dig out the car by hand after one of their car’s cats lose a base. plate. In the end, they completed the stage as car number 52, in a time that was 2hr 19min 4 seconds behind Al-Attiyah. As a result, they have slipped to 45th in the overall ranking.
Stage 3 follows and comprises a circular route that begins and ends in Wadi Ad-Dawasir, on the edge of the Empty Quarter of Saudi Arabia. A 403km special stage, coupled with a 227km link, will see crews tackle small dune fields and some fast tracks that can prove critical to the outcome of the race.
Toyota Gazoo Racing at the 2021 Dakar rally
