Saood Variawa shatters records as the youngest champion in SA Rally-Raid history with Toyota Gazoo Racing

With everything to play for and only the narrowest of margins separating the two top competitors in the 2025 SA Rally-Raid Championship before the final round at the Northam Zondereinde Bushveld 400, it turned out to be a memorable weekend for Toyota Gazoo Racing South Africa (TGRSA).

It’s not often that one team takes all three podium places and, in the process, clinches the title.

Saood Variawa and his French navigator, Francois Cazalet, took both the Overall and Ultimate FIA T1+ Championships after a dramatic and fiercely contested final round, making the 20-year-old the youngest race winner in the history of the SARRC and also the youngest champion - a record previously also held by former teammate Henk Lategan.

Tough track

The season decider unfolded across Limpopo’s rugged bushveld, with dry riverbeds, tight game-farm tracks, steep climbs and muddy patches after recent rain shaping a punishing route.

With only three points separating Variawa/ Cazalet from their main rivals, Gareth Woolridge and Boyd Dreyer (Ford), at the start of the weekend, the title remained undecided until the final kilometres of racing.

Lock-out

TGRSA set the tone by locking out the top four positions in Friday’s 22-kilometre Prologue, where the visiting Portuguese crew of Joao Ferreira and Filipe Palmeiro topped the times. They were followed closely by Guy Botterill and Oriol Mena in second, with Variawa/ Cazalet just five seconds further back. 

Saood’s younger brother, Sa’aad, together with Zaheer Bodhanya, also started strongly, ensuring that TGRSA controlled the front of the field heading into the day’s 88-kilometre Stage 1. By the end of Friday, Botterill/ Mena had posted the fastest combined time to lead the event overall, setting the tone for what would become a strategic Saturday for the KwaZulu-Natal driver.

On Saturday morning, Botterill and Mena were tasked with opening the road, a role that formed part of a broader strategy to assist Variawa/Cazalet in gaining the cleanest possible road surface for their title push.

After losing time early while opening the road, Botterill and Mena were able to push again later in the day, ultimately winning the final loop and securing third overall, rounding off the TGRSA podium lockout.

Focused

At the front, a decisive blow to the competition came when Woolridge and Dreyer suffered a series of setbacks, including hitting a Kudu, placing them under pressure. 

With their title rivals compromised, despite punctures and navigational challenges, Variawa and Cazalet remained focused to produce a calm, mature performance, winning the event in a total race time of 5 hours, 28 minutes and 17 seconds, taking their second outright victory of the season and sealing Variawa’s first SA Rally-Raid Championship title.

Ferreira and Palmeiro completed an excellent weekend to finish second overall in their GR Hilux IMT EVO, just under two minutes behind the winners. Botterill and Mena trailed them by 59 seconds to take third.

Sa’aad Variawa and Bodhanya capped off an impressive drive in fifth place overall.

Now for Dakar

“The championship has been filled with ups and downs. We’ve had a lot of good results and some not-so-decent ones, too. We had one or two races where we had to fight back from the rear of the field, which obviously affected the championship points. But I’m happy with the way we managed things,” Saood said afterwards.

“I stayed calm and collected, and it didn’t bother me too much when we lost points because we knew we were faster than a lot of the field at most races - we just had to put it all together.

"We’ve had so many events where we were much quicker but made mistakes, so learning to piece everything together was the biggest lesson this year.

“The team gave me a perfect car every time. They’ve worked incredibly hard, and I’m glad we could bring the championship home for them. It really lifts the morale going into Dakar,” he said.

“It’s amazing to be the youngest ever rally-raid champion in South Africa, and to win the title in only my second full season. It took a lot from me - a lot of work, a lot of learning, absorbing everything like a sponge - but we did a good job,” Saood concluded.

Team principal, Shameer Variawa, praised the squad following the podium sweep.

“For Saood to become the youngest ever South African rally-raid champion at just 20 years old is a fantastic achievement, and I am overjoyed for him and Francois. We have great drivers, a great team, and, of course, great sponsors behind us. Now we shift our focus fully to the upcoming Dakar Rally.”

With the GR Hilux IMT EVO proving fast, resilient and capable across the country’s toughest terrains, the team now transitions into Dakar-preparation mode with confidence and momentum on their side.