The Toyota Hilux is now a two-time Dakar Rally winner, with Nasser Al-Attiyah clinching overall victory in a GR DKR Hilux T1+ for the works Toyota Gazoo Racing South Africa team. The Qatari crossed the finish line 27 minutes and 46 seconds ahead of France’s nine-time World Rally Champion (WRC) Sébastien Loeb in the Bahrain Raid Xtreme (BRX) Prodrive Hunter T1+.
Nasser and his co-driver Mathieu Baumel clinched three stage victories during the infamously gruelling rally raid event, including the prologue stage on New Year’s Day. He was never in serious danger of losing the lead, despite Loeb also securing two wins along the way. Toyota added a further victory to its tally on the 12th and final stage thanks to South Africa’s Henk Lategan.
This is the second win for the Hilux after the 2019 edition, which was also won by Nasser. The truck, a silhouette racer that shares nothing with the production pick-up, was modified for the new T1+ regulations that allowed for larger wheels and tyres and greater suspension travel. The engine has also been switched from the Lexus LC 500‘s 5.0 litre naturally-aspirated V8 to a 3.5 litre twin-turbo V6 off the new Land Cruiser. As for Nasser, he has now won the Dakar Rally four times, including once with Volkswagen and MINI.
Making its debut at this year’s event, Audi entered its new RS Q e-tron, a range-extended electric vehicle racing in the T1-E class for alternative fuels. The car, which uses a turbocharged engine from the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM) to charge its 680 PS electric motors, secured three stage wins in the hands of Carlos Sainz and Stéphane Peterhansel but was hampered by incidents and finished well down the order.
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Hilux with Short Cargo Deck looks like a champ.
Looks nothing like a showroom road going Hilux at all. Celup name only.
Hilux forever Hilux~~
Gratzzz…Toyota!