The 2026 Dakar Rally once again proved why it is regarded as the toughest off road endurance event in the world, with competitors battling extreme heat, vast deserts and unforgiving terrain across Saudi Arabia from 3 to 17 January.
For South African fans, the spotlight fell firmly on Toyota Gazoo Racing South Africa as the team endured one of its most demanding campaigns in recent memory while still delivering a strong and determined performance.
Covering close to 8 000 kilometres, this year’s rally pushed both man and machine to the limit. Rocky mountain stages, deep dune systems, complex navigation and two brutal Marathon stages tested every aspect of the crews and their cars. Despite the challenges, all three Toyota GR Hilux crews reached the finish, underlining the resilience of the team and the durability of the South African developed rally cars.
Saood Variawa and his French co driver Francois Cazalet emerged as the leading South African pairing, finishing tenth overall and securing Variawa’s status as the top placed local driver at Dakar 2026. Their campaign included a hard fought Stage 8 victory and a string of top ten stage results, showing that they had the pace to challenge the very best in the world.
Toyota Gazoo Racing South Africa believes that without punctures, a damaged driveshaft and time lost in navigation heavy sections, the duo could have pushed well inside the overall top five.
At the front of the field, Qatar’s Nasser Al Attiyah claimed a remarkable sixth Dakar victory in the Car category, driving the Dacia Sandrider alongside Belgian co driver Fabian Lurquin. Spain’s Nani Roma finished second in a Ford Raptor, followed by Sweden’s Mattias Ekstrom, also in a Ford. France’s Sebastien Loeb placed fourth in a Dacia, while Carlos Sainz of Spain completed the top five in another Ford. The rest of the top ten included Mathieu Serradori, Lucas Moraes, Toby Price, Seth Quintero and South Africa’s own Saood Variawa in the Toyota Hilux IMT EVO.
The Bikes category delivered one of the closest finishes in Dakar history, with Argentina’s Luciano Benavides winning by just two seconds over American Ricky Brabec, both on KTM 450 Rally machines. Spain’s Tosha Schareina took third on a Honda, while riders from the United States, Australia, Chile, Botswana and Slovenia filled the remaining top ten positions.
In the Challenger T3 class, Spain’s Pau Navarro won in a Taurus T3 Max ahead of Saudi Arabia’s Yasir Seaidan and Argentina’s Nicolas Cavigliasso. The Stock class was dominated by the Land Rover Defender Dakar D7X R, with Lithuanian Rokas Baciuska taking victory, followed by Sara Price and Peterhansel. The SSV class went to American Brock Heger in a Polaris RZR, while Lithuania’s Vaidotas Zala claimed the Trucks title.
For Toyota Gazoo Racing South Africa, Dakar 2026 was a tough but proud campaign that showcased South African engineering, determination and world class competitiveness on the biggest stage of them all.
