Toyota Gazoo Racing W2RC near the Dakar Rally finish line

• TGR W2RC’s three DKR GR Hilux safely negotiate the rally’s penultimate stage
• Toby Price and Armand Monleón earn their second podium of the rally in third
• Henk Lategan and Brett Cummings overcome punctures to finish ninth
• Seth Quintero and Andrew Short improve their overall position

Toyota Gazoo Racing W2RC (TGR W2RC) closed in on the Dakar Rally finish line with a double sop-six finish on Stage 12 on Friday.

Although the team’s victory chances were effectively ended on a frustrating Thursday, their three DKR GR Hilux were back in the fight for stage honours. Another demanding day ended with a podium finish and two cars in the top 10.

The 447-mile stage from Al Henakiyah to Yanbu was the final long timed section of the event. The 193 miles of competition featured demanding terrains, from high-speed tracks and slower rocky sections to spectacular sand dunes and plateaus.

Toby Price and Armand Monleón were in contention for their second podium finish of this year’s rally from early in the stage. The No204 DKR GR Hilux showed consistent performance throughout and came within 85 seconds of victory on the way to third place. Price and Monleón are now eighth overall heading into the final stage.

Seth Quintero and Andrew Short gained more ground in the overall standings as their fightback from time lost to punctures earlier in the rally continued. Another strong run for the No203 DKR GR Hilux earned them 11^th on Stage 12, moving the pair into ninth overall.

Henk Lategan and Brett Cummings put their Stage 11 disappointment behind them to return to action following repairs to their damaged No202 DKR GR Hilux overnight. Starting towards the back of the field, they suffered two punctures and had to drive in the dust from other cars on their way to ninth. After losing almost four hours with a wheel bearing issue on Thursday, they remain outside the overall top 10, in 21^st.

Nasser Al-Attiyah and Fabien Lurquin (Dacia Sandriders) won the stage to extend their overall lead, while Mitch Guthrie and Kellon Walch were second for Ford Racing.

Team quotes 

Henk Lategan: “We started far down the order because of our issue yesterday, which meant we were driving in everyone’s dust. The stage itself was really nice, and I enjoyed it a lot. But we just caught dust from the other cars all the time. We eventually overtook some of the guys ahead but then got a puncture, so we dropped behind again. It was difficult to overtake, but when we did it again, we got another puncture. So that was a bit frustrating, but we made it to the end and we’ve got one stage to go, so we’ll do our best.”

Seth Quintero: “It was a good day for us. Navigation was tough and we made some mistakes, but we made up more positions in the overall standings. Coming from 31st to ninth isn’t an easy feat in a Dakar Rally with a field of this calibre, so we are proud of that. The whole TGR W2RC team is doing an amazing job, and we’ll keep fighting for one more to try to take more positions. I’m looking forward to the last stage; I just wish the rally was a week longer.”

Toby Price: “I had a lot of fun in the car, and me and Armand worked very well together. It was a very rocky stage, but it had everything, dunes, riverbeds, and wide-open areas. I thought we might be close to a stage win, but with this level of competition you can never be confident. We were very close. We left a bit on the table in the rocks, so we could have made up time there, but we could also have lost time with a puncture. All in all, the car is in good shape. There’s one more stage to go and one more chance for a stage win. We’ll put our foot down and have some fun.”

Dakar Rally – Provisional Stage 12 result*

Dakar Rally – Provisional standings after Stage 12*

*Correct at time of publication

ENDS