Dubai, UAE – 23 January 2025: The 2025 Dakar Rally witnessed an outstanding victory for Toyota, with Saudi Arabia’s Yazeed Al Rajhi and co-driver Timo Gottschalk clinching the win in their No. 201 Toyota GR DKR Hilux Evo. TOYOTA GAZOO Racing’s Henk Lategan and Brett Cummings crossed the finish line just minutes later in their No. 211 Toyota GR DKR Hilux Evo, securing a remarkable one-two finish for Toyota.
Team Land Cruiser Toyota Auto Body (TLC) also secured their 12th consecutive Production Car (Stock) category victory at Dakar Rally. These impressive results are thanks to the performance of Akira Miura and co-driver Jean-Michel Polato, who claimed first place in their No. 500 Land Cruiser 300 GR Sport, with Ronald Basso and co-driver Jean-Pierre Garcin taking second in the No. 501 Land Cruiser 300 GR Sport. The victory also marks the Land Cruiser 300’s final participation year in the Dakar Rally, in the wake of vehicle regulation changes.
Akio Toyoda, TGR Chairman, also known as Morizo, commented: “Happy New Year to everyone who has finally reached the finish line of the Dakar Rally. Thank you very much for your hard work on the 7500km long, 15-day drive. To all those who challenged the Dakar Rally with hydrogen-engine buggies: Last year you completed the rally by running 90% of the distance. This year you completed 100% of the roads and finished the Dakar in the truest sense of the word. I believe that you were able to show the evolution of the hydrogen engine to the world again this year. Let’s create a future together where everyone can be excited by the sound of engines. Thank you so much for another year of crazy challenges!”
The Dakar Rally, held in Saudi Arabia for the sixth consecutive year, began in the southwestern town of Bisha. The course was designed to wind through varying terrains such as the dunes of the Empty Quarter, craggy mountains, and wide plains, culminating at the goal in Shubaytah. For Saudi Arabia’s Al Rajhi, it was a dream come true to win the Dakar Rally on home soil.
Lategan and Cummings also fought bravely for the top spot throughout the rally, holding onto the lead for eight straight stages, before briefly relinquishing it to Al Rajhi for one stage.
The South African duo regained the lead on the next stage, but this put them at a disadvantage in terms of road position for the penultimate and deciding leg of the rally. In the end, they settled for second place, giving Toyota a coveted one-two finish at the world’s toughest rally-raid event. This was a powerful performance by the brand, underscoring the quality, durability and reliability for which the Toyota Hilux is famous.
The No. 201 and No. 211 crews competed in the latest iteration of the race-proven Toyota GR DKR Hilux Evo. While staying true to its trusted core design, which has delivered multiple victories, the 2025 version features meticulous refinements that further enhance its quality, durability, and reliability—key values of Toyota’s approach. These upgrades reflect Toyota’s Kaizen philosophy of continuous improvement, with each iteration building on past successes to create a vehicle capable of conquering the toughest terrains.
Over the years, Toyota has been participating in many different forms of motorsports, including Formula One, the World Endurance Championship (WEC), and the Nürburgring 24 Hours endurance race. Toyota’s participation in these events was overseen by separate entities within the company until April 2015, when Toyota established TGR, to consolidate all of its motorsports activities under one in-house brand. Representing Toyota’s belief that ‘the roads build the people, and the people build the cars,’ TGR highlights the role of motorsports as a fundamental pillar of Toyota’s commitment to making ‘ever-better’ cars. Harnessing years of experience gained under the extreme conditions of various motorsports events, TGR aims to forge new technologies and solutions that bring the freedom, adventure, and joy of driving to everyone.
Race Notes
Final Standings
- No. 201 Toyota GR DKR Hilux Evo (Yazeed Al Rajhi and co-driver Timo Gottschalk)
- Position: 1st
- No. 211 Toyota GR DKR Hilux Evo (Henk Lategan and Brett Cummings)
- Position: 2nd
Production Cars Category
- No. 500 Land Cruiser 300 GR Sport (Akira Miura and Mayeul Barbet)
- Position: 1st
- No. 501 Land Cruiser 300 GR Sport (Ronald Basso and Jean-Michel Polato)
- Position: 2nd