Toyota Gazoo Racing Duo, Lategan and Cummings, Claim Triumph in Home Performance at the South African Safari Rally
In the pulse-pounding finale of South Africa's first-ever World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC) round, a thrilling showdown unfolded between Toyota Hilux's Henk Lategan and Dacia's Sébastien Loeb. The 110.71km final stage saw Lategan and Loeb going toe-to-toe, but a one-minute time penalty handed to Loeb for a waypoint infraction resulted in Lategan clinching the event by a comfortable 1 minute 39 seconds[1].
Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah, leader of the W2RC, found himself in trouble after several penalties, including a 15-minute time penalty for missing a waypoint and other smaller penalties, dashing his hopes of extending his W2RC lead. This allowed Lategan, who had capitalized on a fortunate starting position, to claim a close second place at the Dakar Rally, and jump up to second in the Drivers' Championship[1].
inding success was Lategan's teammates Lucas Moraes and Armand Monleon, who secured a third-place finish and strengthened their challenge for the Drivers' and Navigators' Championships[1]. Other prominent competitors included Gareth Woolridge and Boyd Dreyer, who were fourth in their Ford Evo Plus, and the M-Sport Ford team's Carlos Sainz and Lucas Cruz, who finished fifth[1].
Among the M-Sport Ford team, Joan Roma and Alex Haro overcame a two-minute time penalty after the final stage to claim seventh place, while Toyota Gazoo Racing's Seth Quintero and Dennis Zenz were sandwiched between the two Ford vehicles in sixth place[1].
Daniel Schröder and Carl Henri Köhne, a German-South African duo, driving a Volkswagen WCT Amarok, had a strong event and finished eighth[1]. Belgian driver Guillaume de Mévius, teaming up with Frenchman Xavier Panseri, brought the sole-surviving X-Raid Mini JCW Rally across the finish line in ninth[1].
Al-Attiyah, though disappointed with the penalties, acknowledged the win, stating, "We didn't take any big risks and we still managed to get the win. The 15-minute penalty has put us out of the podium, so it's important for us to get these stage wins." [1]
Meanwhile, in the Challenger category, the Argentine duo of David Zille and Sebastian Cesana dominated the competition in their BBR Motorsport Taurus T3 Max, winning their class by a massive 3 minutes 39 seconds[2]. Nicolas Cavigliasso and Valentina Pertegarini, also of BBR Motorsport, finished second in the class and continue to lead the championship category[2].
The SSV category saw Portugal's Mario Franco and João Miranda cruise to an 11-minute victory in their Francosport Can-Am Maverick R[3]. Alexandre Pinto and Bernardo Oliveira continued to hold the top spot in the Drivers' and Navigators' Championship after picking up points for third place in the W2RC crews[3].
In the world of motorsport, the competitive spirit was evident as Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah's lead in the W2RC was threatened by penalties, while Lucas Moraes and Armand Monleon capitalized on their opportunity to claim a strong third place finish in sports events. Meanwhile, in the Challenger category, David Zille and Sebastian Cesana dominated with their BBR Motorsport Taurus T3 Max, highlighting the diversity of sports competition.
