Had they not withdrawn from Stage 2 of the 2023 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge due to a boost-related issue, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing’s Henk Lategan and Brett Cummings could have found themselves in contention for the overall victory, especially given his stage win in the final stage. of the 5-stage event. Still, the crew gained a lot of experience in Abu Dhabi, which will surely help them in their future races.
The final stage of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge stretched between the Qasr Al Sarab bivouac and the city of Abu Dhabi. There were links of 29km and 135km before and after the special, but it was the timed section that saw the GR DKR Hilux T1+ crew shine. The TGR crew needed just 2h 36min 11s to complete the stage, giving them a 2min 2s margin of victory over the next fastest crew.
It was a roller-coaster week for the South Africans, who opened their account with a third-place finish in Stage 1. An unfortunate issue with their car’s turbo boost forced them to retire from stage 2 of the event, leaving them out of contention in the general classification. They bounced back in Stage 3 with another third place, before going one better to secure second place in Stage 4. This was followed up with a win in the final stage of the event.
Teammates and defending world rally-raid champions Nasser and Mathieu started the Abu Dhabi 2023 Desert Challenge in charge. They won the Prologue and followed it up with an impressive win on the opening stage of the event. They added another win in Stage 2, before a crash near the end of Stage 3, which they had been leading up until that point, halted their charge. This was a tough blow for the crew, but they will be back to continue their title defense at Round 3 of the 2023 W2RC.
While Nasser relinquished the lead in the W2RC standings after withdrawing from the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing as a manufacturer scored significant points, thanks in part to the efforts of its private partners. As a result, TGR is on 120 points after two rounds, 41 points behind its nearest competitor. Nasser and Mathieu are now 16 points adrift in the drivers’ and co-drivers’ championships, and will aim to maximize their scoring opportunities at the next round.
The third round is scheduled from April 22 to 28, at the Sonora Rally de Mexico. Next, the Ruta 40 Challenge in Argentina and the season-ending Morocco Rally, which will take place in October this year. Nasser and Mathieu won both the Dakar Rally and the W2RC title in 2022, and are hoping to repeat their success in 2023, having taken victory in this year’s Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia.
QUOTES:
Alain Dujardyn, TGR W2RC Team Manager: “A great final effort from Henk and Brett showed their true pace, and they reaped the rewards of their continued hard work. Overall, the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge 2023 did not deliver the result we expected from Nasser and Mathieu, but they will be back in the fight at Round 3, the Sonora Rally in Mexico. As for Henk and Brett, they learned a lot from their experience here in Abu Dhabi, and their overall pace encourages us.”
Glyn Hall, TGR Dakar Team Principal: “Henk and Brett have proven to be tough competitors in the past, but to win the final stage of this tough race underlines their abilities. I’m also encouraged by the almost flawless performance of our GR DKR Hilux T1+, with the related to the boost that hampered Henk and Brett’s progress in Stage 2, the only blemish on their perfect record this week.
Henk Lategan: “I certainly learned a lot this week! The Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge is a really tough event, with many traps that can surprise you without warning. We were unlucky to have to withdraw from the second stage of the ‘event, otherwise the results might have looked different. However, we recorded a number of podiums in the other stages, and I am delighted with our stage win in the final stage of the event today”.
STAGE 5 RESULTS:
|
CREW |
TEAM |
TIME |
|
| 1 | H. LATEGAN (SOLD OUT) / B. CUMMINGS (SOLD OUT) | #211 – TOYOTA GAZOO RACING |
2:36:11 |
| 2 | S. LOEB (from) /F. LURQUIN (BEAUTIFUL) | #200 – BAHRAIN RAID XTREME |
+2:02 |
| 3 | S. HALPERN (ARG) / B. GRAY (ARG) | #205 – X-RAID MINI JCW TEAM |
+5:38 |
| 4 | M. GUTHRIE (USA) / K. WALCH (USA) | #302 – RED BULL OFF-ROAD JUNIOR TEAM USA |
+6:45 |
| 5 | J. YACOPINI (ARG) / D. OLIVERAS (ESP) | #204 – OVERDRIVE RACES |
+7:14 |
| S. LOEB (from) /F. LURQUIN (BEAUTIFUL) | #200 – BAHRAIN RAID XTREME |
2:28:10 |
CLASSIFICATIONS AFTER THE 5TH STAGE:
|
CREW |
TEAM |
TIME |
|
| 1 | Y. AL RAJHI (O) / T. GOTTSCHALK (GAVE) | #207 – OVERDRIVE RACES |
16:28:06 |
| 2 | M. PROKOP (JUNE) / V. CHITKA (JUNE) | #203 – TEAM ORLEN BENZINA |
+12:31 |
| 3 | S. QUINTERO (USA) / Mr. ZEZ (GAVE) | #302 – RED BULL OFF-ROAD JUNIOR TEAM USA |
+30:25 |
| 4 | J. YACOPINI (ARG) / D. OLIVERAS (ESP) | #204 – OVERDRIVE RACES |
+32:57 |
| 5 | S. HALPERN (ARG) / B. GRAY (ARG) | #205 – X-RAID MINI JCW TEAM |
+34:29 |
| 28 | H. LATEGAN (SOLD OUT) / B. CUMMINGS (SOLD OUT) | #211 – TOYOTA GAZOO RACING |
+21:46:52 |
W2RC DRIVER RANKINGS AFTER ROUND 2:
1. S. LOEB (FRA), BAHRAIN RAID XTREME – 101
2. N. AL-ATTIYAH (QAT), TOYOTA GAZOO RACING – 85
3. M. PROKOP (JUN), ORLEN BENZINA TEAM – 64
4. Y. AL RAJHI (SAU), OVERDRIVE RACING – 63
5. J. YACOPINI (ARG), OVERDRIVE RACING – 49
W2RC MANUFACTURER RANKINGS AFTER ROUND 2:
1. TOYOTA GAZOO RACING – 120
2. BAHRAIN RAID XTREME – 79
3. BAIC ORV – 72
4. X-RAID MINI JCW TEAM – 70
