Dakar Prologue Win for TGR (Toyota Gazoo Racing) as Lategan/Cummings Go Fastest
It was a dream start to Dakar 2025 on Friday (3 January) for TOYOTA GAZOO Racing’s Henk Lategan and Brett Cummings (#211). Their return to the Dakar stage, after Lategan’s absence in 2024 due to injury, was marked by a flawless run, showing the South African duo’s readiness for the gruelling days ahead. Lategan described the result as “a big sigh of relief,” adding that it was an ideal start to their campaign.
While the 29km-long pre-race does not count towards crews’ overall time, the results from the Prologue are used to help determine the starting positions for Stage 1. As such, a good result can be very valuable, especially early in the event.
Henk Lategan:
"We couldn’t have asked for better than that. To be first even by one second is an awesome way to start the race. After being out for one year, and after the injury, you always have a few doubts. To be on the pace straight away is a big sigh of relief and a good feeling. But Dakar can be really cruel and this place will humble you if you don’t stay humble. So, we’re taking it calm and easy and we know it’s still a long way to go, so we’ll try and drive smart for the next few days.”
Brazilian driver Lucas Moraes, partnered with Armand Monleon (#203) of Spain, continued his steady approach to rally-raid racing by finishing 8th overall. Their measured approach paid off, with Moraes noting the importance of starting strong while laying the groundwork for the challenging stages ahead. They completed the Prologue 35 seconds behind their teammates, highlighting the balance between speed and strategy that defines Dakar.
Lucas Moraes:
"It was a great prologue for us; a great first day. We were early on the road and managed to still finish eighth, so definitely a good pace that we had there. The car was really nice to drive, too. So, first day done; we got the nerves sorted a bit. Now, I hope we can play the correct strategy for the 48 hours Chrono."
Youngster Saood Variawa of South Africa and French co-driver Francois Cazalet (#218) delivered a composed performance to finish 10th, 41 seconds off the lead. Variawa, competing in his second Dakar, showed maturity by carefully navigating the rocky sections while still pushing hard when opportunities arose. The Top 10 finish places them in a strong position for the opening stage.
Saood Variawa:
“It was super fast in a lot of places that could catch you out really quickly, but it was a really good stage for me. I managed to push where I needed to and also took it quite easy in the rocks. I did lose quite a bit of time in the rocks, just taking it easy, but, I mean, it’s the prologue of the Dakar, after all. So, we’ll see how tomorrow goes and how the draw goes, but to be in the top 10 was really good.”
American driver Seth Quintero, partnered with German Dennis Zenz (#204), finished 15th, 50 seconds behind the lead. Quintero, making his second appearance in the GR Hilux EVO, described the stage as a good starting point and noted the importance of conserving energy and resources for the critical stages later in the rally.
Seth Quintero:
“It’s kind of just a long time waiting. Everybody sits here and waits and gets ready and it’s nice to finally get behind the wheel of the car and go have some fun. Today went really well for us, right where we wanted to be, and we’re ready for the next 14 days of it. I’m really not planning on racing until the second week."
“I'm going to go out there – obviously, we’re racing. But I really want to go out there and stay in the top 5, top 10, most likely top 10 for the first week and then the second week really just kind of put it down and we’ll see where we end up.”
South African duo Guy Botterill and Dennis Murphy (#205) demonstrated strong pace but were hindered by catching the car ahead of them just 10 kilometres into the stage. Dust from the preceding vehicle cost them valuable seconds, leaving them 17th overall, 53 seconds behind the lead. Despite the setback, the 2024 Dakar Rookie of the Year remained optimistic about their pace and potential in the days ahead.
Guy Botterill:
“I think we had a really good run. Dennis and I worked well together, the car was good, we had a really good pace. Unfortunately we caught the car in front of us in 10 kilometres, so, it just shows how good the pace was. We lost a lot of time in the dust, but it is just an unfortunate product of our current seeding in the race. So, all in all I think we’re quite happy and I think the pace is there, we’ve just got to be a bit patient and it’ll come to us."
Dakar veteran Giniel de Villiers (RSA), racing alongside German co-driver Dirk von Zitzewitz (#206), completed the TGR line-up with a 21st-place finish, 1min 12sec off the lead. De Villiers noted that the stage, while short, was tricky, with high-speed sections and navigational challenges in the middle. The experienced duo is now focused on tackling the first full stage of the rally.
Giniel de Villiers:
“Yeah, the Prologue is out the way, and we had a reasonably good run. No issues, and tomorrow the real race starts, so we’re looking forward to it and it’s going to be a very tough first week. The prologue was not so easy – quite high speed, and in the middle it was a little bit tricky, but very high speed, and lots of trees and rocks that you could hit. But overall, we had a very good Prologue today.”
The Prologue highlighted the capabilities of the GR Hilux EVO, a race-proven platform designed to handle the most challenging terrain. With all six TGR crews completing the stage without mechanical issues, the team is in a strong position as the Dakar Rally shifts into high gear with tomorrow’s Stage 1 (Saturday 4 January).
This first true stage of Dakar 2025 will be a looped route, starting and ending near the town of Bisha. The timed section will comprise 413 km of rocks and sand, with some fast dirt tracks also in the mix. The day will require only 86 km of liaisons, though the stage itself is certain to set the tone for the days to come.
The crews will have only one stage to settle into the 2025 Dakar Rally, as Stage 2 is the much-feared 48 hour Chrono, which is essentially two stages in one, run over consecutive days, without the benefit of service in between. The rally will continue towards Al Henakiyah and Alula, before taking a break in Hail on Sunday, 11 January.
