There’s something about the Dakar Rally that catches South Africans right in the soft spot between national pride and an irresistible love for dust, dunes, and very fast bakkies. So, when Toyota Gazoo Racing South Africa confirmed its line-up for Dakar 2026, we sat up like a meerkat hearing a suspicious rustle in the grass. And to be fair, there’s plenty to be excited about.
Toyota is fielding four crews for this edition of the world’s toughest motorsport event, which runs from 3–17 January 2026 across Saudi Arabia. It’s a route that nearly matches the record for competitive distance since the Dakar moved to the region, with organisers dialling in a wide mix of technical sections, dune fields, gravel blasts, and everything in between. The kind of terrain, in other words, that a Hilux tends to eat for breakfast.
The team’s 2026 challengers are a confident and experienced quartet. Argentina’s Juan Cruz Yacopini joins forces once again with Daniel Oliveras, while South Africa’s own Saood Variawa pairs with Francois Cazalet after an outstanding 2025 season in the South African Rally-Raid Championship. Guy Botterill and Oriol Mena add proven speed and Dakar-hardened consistency to the squad, and Portugal’s João Ferreira and Filipe Palmeiro round off the line-up with solid European rally-raid pedigree. It’s a balanced and capable mix – and one of the strongest squads TGRSA has brought to the Dakar in recent years.
All four crews will compete in the latest evolution of the GR Hilux IMT Evo, which has undergone a relentless round of refinements through 2025. The team spent the year sharpening durability, improving handling, tweaking cockpit comfort, and fine-tuning performance in variable sand conditions. It’s the kind of obsessive development cycle Dakar demands, because as every team principal knows, you only realise what you should have done once you’re 300km into a stage with no support in sight.
The squad also arrives with the confidence that only silverware can inspire. Variawa and Cazalet’s SARRC championship title has given them strong momentum, while Yacopini and Oliveras were crowned the FIA World Baja Cup champions after a decisive win in Dubai. These successes underline the depth of preparation across the programme, as well as the competitive edge each crew brings to the table.
Toyota’s involvement in the Dakar has long been about more than just racing. For the brand, the rally is a rolling laboratory – a brutal, beautiful, unpredictable arena where every kilometre helps shape the next generation of Hilux models. The harsh terrain plays to Toyota’s focus on quality, durability and reliability, and the event continues to resonate strongly with fans from every corner of the world. Dakar embodies adventure, perseverance, and a very specific type of stubbornness that South Africans know well.
This year’s route promises an intense physical and mental challenge. The organisers have decided to skip the notorious Empty Quarter, which may spare a few drivers from nightmares involving endless dune faces, but the event compensates with a near-record competitive distance and a route shaped by variety rather than single-minded brutality. Crews can expect rapid-fire transitions between sand, rock, gravel, and technical tracks – the kind of blend that rewards versatility, patience, and precise navigation.
The rhythm of the race has been carefully considered. There are fewer bivouacs, meaning support teams will be slightly fresher, at least in theory. Two marathon stages – one in each week – raise the stakes significantly, with crews left to fend for themselves overnight without external mechanical support. And while there are opportunities to regroup, including the rest day in Riyadh on 10 January, fortunes can still swing wildly thanks to the long competitive distances and the second marathon stage lurking near the end.
Across 13 stages, teams will face the full tapestry of Saudi Arabia’s terrain. Fast gravel blasts will tempt drivers to push harder than they should, while dunes, rocky sections, and tricky navigation zones will remind them that Dakar is never impressed by overconfidence.
The rally begins and ends in Yanbu on the Red Sea coast, following a clockwise loop around Saudi Arabia. Dakar fans will recognise the familiar terrain: the area hosted decisive stages in earlier editions and served as the final battleground in 2024. The 2026 running returns to this setting for its opening ceremony and prologue on 3 January, before competitors charge northwards into the heart of the desert.
As TGRSA heads into Dakar 2026, all signs point to a unified and well-prepared squad. Four experienced crews, a heavily refined Hilux, and a route designed to test every imaginable skill combine to set the stage for a compelling campaign. Whether it ends in trophies, triumphs, or tough lessons, one thing is certain: the Dakar always delivers a story worth telling, and Toyota is more than ready to write its next chapter.
