Toyota claims 2nd straight Dakar rally victory with Hilux
Hilux, Land Cruiser 300 dominate 2023 Dakar rally
The 2023 edition of the world's toughest rally has come to a close, and Toyota Gazoo Racing has once again emerged victorious.
Nasser Al-Attiyah and his French co-driver Matheiu Baumel have successfully scored Toyota Gazoo Racing's second consecutive overall victory in the Dakar rally. Onboard the Toyota GR DKR Hilux T1+, Al-Attiyah, and Baumel crossed the line 1 hour, 20 minutes and 49 seconds clear from his closest challenger, 9-time WRC Champion Sebastien Loeb.
Toyota Gazoo Racing scored perhaps one of the most one-sided victories in Dakar rally history. Before the event, there was genuine belief that Audi's e-tron rally drivers Stephane Peterhansel, Carlos Sainz Sr., and the aforementioned WRC legend Loeb in the Prodrive-run BRX Hunter would mount a serious challenge to Al-Attiyah.
Audi's Prologue and opening stage performance indicated a muti-way fight could be on the cards, but that challenge quickly faded as both Peterhansel and Sainz were forced to retire after rolling their Audis in the early stages. Loeb, on the other hand, was also out of the running for overall honors, as he encountered multiple punctures in the opening days of the event.
By Stage 6, this meant Al-Attiyah was already well over an hour clear of his strongest challengers and just cruised home for the outright victory.
As an added cherry on top, three other Hilux rally raids finished in the top 5 of the T1+ class. Privateer Lucas Moraes finished 3rd in his Dakar rally debut, while works Toyota Gazoo Racing drivers Giniel de Villiers and Henk Lategan finished 4th and 5th overall, respectively.
On the other hand, Team Land Cruiser Toyota Auto Body scored their 10th consecutive victory in the production vehicle class with the Land Cruiser 300 GR Sport, while Hino Team Sugawara's HINO 600 completed the 16-day Dakar rally.
