TOYOTA GAZOO Racing’s Qatari Nasser Al-Attiyah and France’s Mathieu Baumel celebrated an impressive overall victory at the 2023 Sonora Rally, driving their GR DKR Hilux T1+ to second place in the final stage, just 1 minute behind of stage winner Yazeed Al. Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk. With this result, the duo took their overall victory in the event, finishing 6 minutes 22 seconds ahead of Al Rajhi and Gottschalk.
Stage 5, the shortest of the rally, covered a distance of 139 km, with a total of 237 km of links. The terrain between Peñasco and San Luis featured a mix of challenging desert scenery, with fast sections, sand tracks and rocky outcrops. The diverse range of landscapes tested navigation skills, vehicle performance and equipment adaptability.
This overall victory has strengthened Nasser and Mathieu’s position in the World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC) standings. They earned 51 points during the Sonora Rally, which put them 30 points clear of their closest rivals in the season standings with just two rounds to play. TOYOTA GAZOO Racing has also extended its lead in the manufacturers’ standings to 68 points over its nearest competition.
The 2023 Sonora Rally marked the first year the event was included on the W2RC calendar, and the race proved to be a worthy addition, offering tough terrain that resembles parts of the iconic Rally Dakar and offering an exciting challenge for competitors. TGR is proud to have been crowned the first W2RC winners of this exciting event.
Throughout the demonstration, Nasser Al-Attiyah and Mathieu Baumel showed their experience, determination and ability to overcome technical problems. Their consistent performance in the GR DKR Hilux T1+, which previously took them to victory in the 2022 and 2023 Dakar Rally, proved crucial in securing their victory.
As the championship race heats up, the W2RC contenders now look forward to the next round, the Desafio Ruta 40, which will take place in Argentina from August 26 to September 1, 2023. The Desafio Ruta 40 will provide another opportunity for teams to test their results. vehicles, strategies and endurance in the face of challenging terrain and fierce competition.
A good result in Argentina could put the TGR crew in a good position for the final round of the season. Details of the route have yet to be revealed, but many of the competitors know the Argentine landscape well after a decade of Dakar Rally competition in the area. However, each race is unique, and the crew will make sure they are well prepared for the challenges of the Route 40 Challenge.
QUOTES:
Alain Dujardyn, TGR W2RC Team Manager: “I would like to congratulate both Nasser and Mathieu for their consistent performance throughout the Sonora Rally, which was a brand new event for the team, and a first outing in this area for our GR DKR Hilux T1+ .I would also like to thank our team of engineers and technicians, who rebuilt the car after the Abu Dhabi accident, allowing the race crew to rely on the quality, durability and reliability that are synonymous of all Toyota products. They also did an excellent job of maintaining the car. During the Sonora Rally, I would also like to thank Aventura Events for putting on a spectacular event, during which we recovered the advantage in the W2RC on all fronts: manufacturer, driver and co-driver, and we are very pleased with the results.”
Nasser Al-Attiyah: “It’s great to have completed Round 3 of the W2RC 2023, here in Mexico. Coming here after our big crash in Abu Dhabi and trying to defend our title by winning the race wasn’t easy, but we managed to lead most of the event. We also had an amazing fight with Sebastien Loeb and Yazeed Al Rajhi, and I’m happy that we now have a big lead in the championship. Our GR DKR Hilux T1+ was back to full strength and we had an amazing race “.
Mathieu Baumel: “It was a fantastic event, and a pleasure to discover a little more of the country of Mexico. The first two days were pretty unique, running through cactus plants, after which things opened up a lot to the more familiar, open feel of the desert. We enjoyed competing here and are very happy to have won the event. This is a great result for us, for the rally, for the team and also for the championship”.
STAGE 5 RESULTS:
|
CREW |
CLASS |
TEAM |
TIME |
|
| 1 | Y. AL RAJHI (O) / T. GOTTSCHALK (GAVE) | T1 | #207 – OVERDRIVE RACES |
1:13:45 |
| 2 | N. AL-ATTIYAH (QAT) / M. BAUMEL (from) | T1 | #201 – TOYOTA GAZOO RACING |
+1:00 |
| 3 | S. HALPERN (ARG) / B. GRAY (ARG) | T1 | #205 – X-RAID MINI JCW TEAM |
+2:24 |
| 4 | J. YACOPINI (ARG) / D. OLIVERAS (ESP) | T1 | #203 – OVERDRIVE RACES |
+3:27 |
| 5 | G. ZHANG (CHN) / O. MENA (ESP) | T1 | #206 – BAIC ORV |
+4:11 |
FINAL CLASSIFICATION:
|
CREW |
CLASS |
TEAM |
TIME |
|
| 1 | N. AL-ATTIYAH (QAT) / M. BAUMEL (from) | T1 | #201 – TOYOTA GAZOO RACING |
10:29:55 |
| 2 | Y. AL RAJHI (O) / T. GOTTSCHALK (GAVE) | T1 | #207 – OVERDRIVE RACES |
+6:22 |
| 3 | S. HALPERN (ARG) / B. GRAY (ARG) | T1 | #205 – X-RAID MINI JCW TEAM |
+14:28 |
| 4 | D. KROTOV (KGZ) / K. ZHILTSOV (ISR) | T1 | #208 – X-RAID MINI JCW TEAM |
+25:48 |
| 5 | J. YACOPINI (ARG) / D. OLIVERAS (ESP) | T1 | #203 – OVERDRIVE RACES |
+31:35 |
W2RC DRIVER RANKINGS AFTER ROUND 3:
1. N. AL-ATTIYAH (QAT), TOYOTA GAZOO RACING – 136
2. Y. AL RAJHI (SAU), OVERDRIVE RACING – 106
3. S. LOEB (FRA), BAHRAIN RAID XTREME – 101
4. S. HALPERN (ARG), X-RAID MINI JCW TEAM – 74
5. J. YACOPINI (ARG), OVERDRIVE RACING – 69
W2RC MANUFACTURER RANKINGS AFTER ROUND 3:
1. TOYOTA GAZOO RACING – 175
2. X-RAID MINI JCW TEAM – 107
3. BAIC ORV – 100
4. BAHRAIN RAID XTREME – 90
