Consolidation for TOYOTA GAZOO Racing on stage 4 of DAKAR 2023

• Nasser Al-Attiyah and Mathieu Baumel 4th on stage and extend overall lead
• 6th on stage for Henk Lategan and Brett Cummings
• 9th on stage for Giniel de Villiers and Dennis Murphy

A relatively clean 4th stage allowed defending champions, Nasser Al-Attiyah and co-driver Mathieu Baumel, to extend their overall lead in the 2023 Dakar Rally to 18min 18sec over the privately entered Toyota Hilux T1+ of Yazeed Al Rajhi in second place. A single puncture was the only blot on an otherwise clean sheet for the Qatari superstar and his French co-driver.

Nasser and Mathieu posted the 4th-fastest time on Stage 4, trailing the stage winners home by just 2min 06sec over the 425km-long special. Their nearest competitors relinquished 7min 04sec on the day, increasing the GR DKR Hilux T1+ crew’s advantage in the overall standings.

Henk Lategan and Brett Cummings also had a successful stage, completing the stage without a single puncture. They started the stage as the second car on the road, which made it somewhat tricky to find the route. However, they found a good pace, often sharing the road with one of their competitors, and making it to the finish just 7min 23sec adrift of the stage winners.

Despite a harsh penalty of 20min incurred in the first stage, Henk and Brett have moved up into 5th place in the overall ranking, just 45min 25sec off the lead, and within 13min of 4th place. Having completed Stage 4 as the 6th-fastest car, they’ll be the 6th car on the road for Stage 5, placing them in a good position from which to attack.

Stage 4 also brought a clean run for Giniel de Villiers and co-driver Dennis Murphy. The pair started the stage as the 27th car on the road, which hampered their progress in the thick, wet sand that marked the early parts of the stage. They pushed on despite the road conditions, recording the 9th-fastest time on the stage, 16min 11sec behind the winners.

This result leaves them in 7th overall, though their deficit to teammates Nasser and Mathieu have grown to 46min 13sec. They are just 46sec behind the crew ahead of them, less than a minute behind Henk and Brett in 5th. Their road position for Stage 5 sees them start in 9th place, which should increase their chances for a more competitive stage time.

Stage 5 of Dakar 2023 will start and finish at the bivouac near the city of Ha’il, where cold weather and a rainstorm marked the arrival of the Dakar Rally on January 3rd. A liaison of 145km will take the crews from the bivouac to the start of the stage, whereafter they will complete a timed special of 374km. Finally, a liaison of 130km will bring them back to the bivouac.

Three more stages will follow Stage 5 before the rally reaches the rest day at the Saudi capital of Riyadh. The second week of the event will take place largely in the so-called Empty Quarter in the southern part of Saudi Arabia, before the event concludes in the coastal city of Dammam on January 15th.

QUOTES:

Glyn Hall, TGR Dakar Team Principal:
“Someone once said that any day where you lead the Dakar is a good day, and as such today was another good day for us. Nasser drove a very steady stage with no problems, to extend his lead at the top by five minutes. So, no complaints today – let’s see what tomorrow brings.”

Nasser Al-Attiyah:
“It was a very difficult day yet again. Not an easy one. But I’m happy to have come through the stage without any serious drama, except for one flat tyre. We finished in fourth place on today’s stage, so our road position tomorrow will be much better. We’re still in the overall lead, and to me it is quite important to hold onto that lead, so that we can control the first week of the race.”

Giniel de Villiers:
“We had a fairly good stage today, though the wet sand made the going quite difficult in the morning. We had a relatively clean day, and the car ran well all day. At the very least we’ve moved up the order in terms of our road position, which should make things a bit easier tomorrow.”

Henk Lategan:
“The stage didn’t start of very well for us, as we struggled to find a good line early in the day. Maybe my inexperience in the dunes showed a bit, but when Stephan [Peterhansel] caught up with us, we managed to follow him for most of the day. When there were roads, we were in front, and when we went off piste, he was in front. We learnt a lot from him today, and overall, we’re happy with today’s result.”