The cat was let of the bag a little early, but now it’s official: Toyota Gazoo Racing SA will head to Dakar 2017 with two versions of its four-wheel drive vehicle, rather than its new two-wheel drive Hilux Evo.
National rally and cross-country champion Leeroy Poulter, however, has been ruled out of the race after recently undergoing surgery. Poulter, of course, finished fifth during in this year’s edition of the Dakar Rally.
So, that leaves two former Dakar winners to fly the Toyota flag: Giniel de Villiers, partnered with Dirk von Zitzewitz; and Nasser Al Attiyah, with Matthieu Baumel alongside him.
Al Attiyah drove a South-African built Hilux in this year’s FIA Cross-Country World Cup, taking the championship, while also claiming victory at the Rally of Morocco.
So, why the change back from two-wheel drive to four-wheel drive?
“We were all very excited about the arrival of the Toyota Hilux Evo, which we unveiled earlier this year,” said Toyota Gazoo Racing SA Team Principal, Glyn Hall.
“However, despite the promising performance of the car, we’ve found significantly more performance in the four-wheel-drive during parallel testing. This, together with Nasser and Matthieu’s victories abroad, have made it clear to us that the four-wheel-drive is more than capable of taking on the very best cars and drivers in the world.”
The race takes place in Paraguay, Bolivia and Argentina, and concludes in Buenos Aires on January 14.
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