Al-Attiyah on his third Dakar win for Toyota Gazoo Racing: 'This is an amazing feeling!'

It's been a race of success for the Toyota Gazoo Racing South Africa (TGRSA) team as they secured their second consecutive Dakar victory, and third overall. And for star driver Nasser Al-Attiyah, it's a fifth win.

The Qatari has been leading the 2023 Dakar Rally in exemplary fashion, enjoying a commanding advantage of more than 1hr 20min over his nearest rivals.

"This is an amazing feeling! I have to thank so many people, starting with every member of our team," Al-Attiyah said after taking the 2023 victory.

"It was a tough two weeks, but to be able to come back and defend our title is fantastic! I'm really proud of our Toyota Hilux T1+, and to win the race three times with Toyota is truly something special."

It is the fourth time Al-Attiyah's co-driver, Mathieu Baumel, has tasted success in the toughest race on the planet.

20-year veteran

For Stellenbosch-based Giniel de Villiers, the race brought about a sweet moment, even though he finished in fourth. 2023 is the 20th consecutive Dakar Rally he completed, having finished inside the top five on 15 occasions. And only once in all the years of Dakar competition did he finish outside the top 10.

His co-driver was Dennis Murphy.

"The Dakar is always full of challenges, and we certainly had our share of challenges this year," said De Villiers.

"Of course, it could've been better for us, but then many competitors can probably say the same. It would have been nice to be on the podium, but overall, as a manufacturer, Toyota has every reason to be proud. I think this result has just proven the reliability of the Hilux once again, and we again managed to showcase this amazing car in Saudi Arabia this year."

It should have gone better

Sadly, for Henk Lategan and Brett Cummings, the 2023