Toyota Gazoo Racing South Africa secured the 2024 South African Rally-Raid Championship title with a dominant victory at the Phakisa 400, while Ford’s Neil Woolridge Motorsport team faced another challenging round. As Toyota celebrates their triumph, Ford looks to bounce back and focus on the upcoming Dakar Rally.
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Lategan and Cummings, driving the Toyota Hilux IMT EVO, set a blistering pace from the very start of the weekend. Leading both the Castrol Qualifying Race and Stage One on Friday, they established an early advantage. Saturday’s racing proved no different, even as they faced the challenge of opening the road — a demanding task that requires precise navigation and unwavering confidence. The duo completed the event in 05:58:57, not only winning the Phakisa 400 but also clinching the 2024 SARRC overall and FIA Ultimate T1+ championship titles. This victory carries extra weight as it represents a personal redemption for Lategan, who had to retire from the Phakisa event last year after a rollover led to a season-ending shoulder injury.
Toyota’s weekend success was amplified by a strong showing from their other crews. Guy Botterill and Dennis Murphy, also piloting a Hilux IMT EVO, crossed the finish line just two minutes and six seconds behind Lategan and Cummings, recording a time of 06:01:03. Despite suffering a puncture early on the final day, Botterill and Murphy’s solid performance ensured a second-place finish. They remain second in the championship standings, solidifying their place among the top competitors in the series.
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Veteran driver Giniel de Villiers and co-driver Elvéne Vonk rounded out the podium, finishing third with a time of 06:02:51. Despite facing overheating issues and a navigational error early in the event, the experienced pair managed to recover and secure a podium finish, underscoring Toyota’s supremacy in the 2024 season. The manufacturer now holds a commanding 542 points in the standings, far ahead of their nearest rivals, further establishing the reliability and performance of the Toyota Hilux IMT EVO.
In contrast, the Neil Woolridge Motorsport (NWM) Ford Rally-Raid Team experienced a season filled with near misses and unfortunate setbacks. The team had high hopes heading into the Phakisa 400, having enjoyed success at the venue in the past. Last year, Gareth Woolridge and Boyd Dreyer claimed victory at this very event, helping them to clinch the 2023 SARRC Overall Production Vehicle and T1+ (Ultimate) titles. However, luck hasn’t been on their side in 2024.
At the previous round in Parys, Woolridge and Dreyer appeared on track for a dominant victory before a late puncture cost them the win, relegating them to fourth place. At Phakisa, they once again found themselves in contention, only to face another late-race puncture, dropping them out of the top three and forcing them to settle for fourth place. Their teammates, Lance Woolridge and Kenny Gilbert, who were in the mix for a podium in Parys, also struggled at Phakisa, unable to break into the top ranks.
Neil Woolridge, NWM Ford team principal, remains optimistic despite the setbacks. “Luck hasn’t been on our side this year, but the pace is there, and that’s encouraging. We’ve been in the fight for wins on multiple occasions, and with two rounds left, we’ll give it everything to finish strong,” he said. With both Gareth and Lance Woolridge sitting fourth and sixth, respectively, in the championship standings, the team hopes for a better outcome at the season’s final round.
The penultimate round of the 2024 SARRC at Phakisa highlights the contrasting fortunes of Toyota and Ford, with Toyota heading into the final round as champions and Ford eager to salvage their season before shifting focus to the 2025 Dakar Rally. Both teams will now turn their attention to the final event of the season, the Renault KEC Racing Rayton 400 in November, before taking their hard-earned experience into the global spotlight at Dakar.
