• All five crews cleared to start Dakar 2024
• Cars fully assembled and tested on Saudi soil
• Short Prologue signals start of race on January 5th

TOYOTA GAZOO Racing (TGR) is all set for action at the 2024 edition of the Dakar Rally, seen by many as the world’s toughest automotive race. The five GR IMT Hilux EVO T1U race cars have now been fully assembled and tested on Saudi soil, and are ready to take the starter’s orders on Friday, January 5th.

Preparing the cars for the race required the team to not only reassemble them in Saudi Arabia, but also for the cars to pass the technical inspections that are part of the process. At the same time, the race crews also had to complete a series of technical checks, which included checking their safety equipment and race clothing.

With all the checks and inspections done, the team turned its attention to the shakedown sessions, where each car was confirmed as ready to race, before some last-minute tweaks were made to the dampers.

Next up is the prologue, which will be used to determine the starting order for Stage 1. This year’s prologue comprises a liaison of 130 km, with a timed stage of 28 km. The Top 10 competitors will then enter a draw to determine their final starting positions, while the rest of the field will start in the order that they completed the prologue.

This year’s route will start in the northern tourist town of Alula, before heading southeast. A Rest Day will mark the midpoint of the race on January 13th, before the rally returns to Alula briefly. The final stage will take competitors to the coastal city of Yanbu on January 19th.

QUOTES:

Shameer Variawa, SVR Team Principal: “It is fantastic to be back on Saudi soil again, and we are excited to go racing! All five our cars are fully prepared, and the team is in good spirits. We have full confidence in our crews and cars, and hope for a good first week on the event.”

CAR NUMBERS:

206 –    Lucas Moraes / Armand Monleon

209 –    Giniel de Villiers / Dennis Murphy

216 –    Seth Quintero / Dennis Zenz

226 –    Saood Variawa / Francois Cazalet

243 –    Guy Botterill / Brett Cummings