Stage 10 of Dakar 2025 was a continuation of the ding-dong battle between TOYOTA GAZOO Racing’s Henk Lategan and co-driver Brett Cummings (#211) and Yazeed Al Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk in their privately-entered Toyota Hilux.
The works GR Hilux EVO crew bested their rivals by 9min 36sec over the 120km dune-filled stage to retake the lead of the rally. The TGR crew is now 2min 27sec clear in the overall standings, with just two stages to go.
Today’s stage was a strategic battle for the top crews, as the starting position for Stage 11 may prove pivotal in the outcome of the rally. Both Al Rajhi and Lategan managed their pace over the dunes, trying to set fast stage times without finishing among the leaders on the stage. Stage 11 is a relatively long one at 275km, and the cars will again be following their own route, without the benefit of motorbikes to find the way.
For Lategan/Cummings, Stage 10 brought redemption after a tough outing on Stage 9, where they lost the lead of the rally by more than 7min, due to a navigational error near the start of the stage. Today, the multiple South African Rally-Raid (SARRC) Champions hit back, retaking the lead and setting the rally up for a spectacular showdown in Shubaytah.
Lucas Moraes and co-driver Armand Monleon (#203) set the fastest time for TGR on Stage 10. The pair came in just 18sec behind the winners in the Ultimate category, and they are in the Top 15 overall – 4h 56min 19sec behind the lead. They will be starting second on the road tomorrow.
Further back, Seth Quintero and Dennis Zenz (#204) finished the stage just 7min 7sec behind the winners, despite getting stuck in the treacherously soft sand. This cost them the best part of 5min on the day, but they remain in 8th place in the overall standings – 1h 36min 45sec behind the lead. The gap to the car ahead of them has now grown to 3min 45sec, but the crew will be aiming to improve on their position during tomorrow’s stage.
Stage 10 also brought some frustration for Saood Variawa and co-driver Francois Cazalet in the #218 GR Hilux EVO. The pair started off at a good pace, but ran into the dust of a slower competitor mid-stage. They were unable to get past the car in front, and lost time as a result. They finished 10min 6sec behind the leaders, but are looking forward to the long dune stage which follows tomorrow.
With only two stages remaining in this year’s Dakar Rally, Toyota finds itself in an excellent position, with two cars at the head of the field. The rally has been known to hold a sting in its tail, however, and the closing stages may well bring some surprises. The rally will end near the hamlet of Shubaytah on Friday, 17 January, after nearly 8,000km and 14 days of racing.
QUOTES:
Henk Lategan: “It’s difficult for me to judge the pace in the sand. I’m more used to the gravel, and I know when I’m going quick and when I’m not. In the sand, I have no idea. Hopefully, there’s a few guys behind us that can be a little bit quicker than us so that they can slot in front of us on the road for tomorrow’s stage. Here in the dunes, and especially because there’s no bikes tomorrow, the front guys lose a lot of time. It’s almost impossible to have any depth perception in the dunes during the middle of the day, so having tracks to follow helps a lot.”