Toyota Gazoo crews overcome setbacks at tough Outeniqua 400 Rally-Raid

It was a tough weekend for Toyota Gazoo South Africa (TGRSA) in the Outeniqua 400 fourth round of the South African Rally-Raid Championship (SARRC), which took place in the scenic Langkloof Valley between Oudtshoorn and Uniondale in the Western Cape.

Good start

They started well from Louvain Guest Farm, where rally HQ was situated, with Saood Variawa and Francois Cazalet setting the fastest time over the 38-kilometre prologue, just one second ahead of teammates Guy Botterill and Oriol Mena, in an identical GR Hilux IMT Evo.

First setbacks

Despite their pace, several setbacks put the team on the back foot by the time the dust had settled after the technical 80-kilometre loop at the end of the day. 

Botterill and Mena first suffered a puncture, and then had to deal with a mistake in navigation that cost them the best part of six minutes. This saw them drop down the order, and they finished the day in seventh overall, 4min 46sec adrift of the leaders.

Variawa and Cazalet also had a puncture early in the stage, but lost more time as a result of a first-gear rollover in a hairpin corner. The crew were unhurt, but they conceded 27min 03sec on the stage. This put them down in 15th place overall after day one, with a lot of work to do on day two.

Day two

Two more race loops of 178 kilometres followed on the Saturday, allowing the TGRSA crews to make up after the challenges of the opening day despite facing stiff competition and unforgiving terrain.

Variawa and Cazalet continued to set competitive times throughout the day and climbed the ladder into the top 10 throughout the remainder of the race, ending with the fifth-fastest time overall.

While the points still have to be ratified by Motorsport South Africa, Variawa salvaged enough points from the race to remain at the top of the championship standings, with two rounds remaining in the season.

"We had such a good prologue, but the rest of the weekend became an exercise in damage limitation following our roll," said Saood Variawa after the race. "The car was amazing and we had a lot of pace, so I think we have a clear advantage over the competition. We're looking forward to the next race, though there are some international duties before then."

For Botterill and Mena, the day got off to a rocky start as they left the road just a short distance into the stage. 

Their GR Hilux IMT Evo slid down an embankment and into thick foliage, requiring the crew to seek help to get the car back on the road. 

This resulted in a 10-hour penalty, but the pair drove hard for the remainder of the race, finishing the event in 11th place overall.

"I’m very proud of the team this weekend. It wasn’t an easy outing for us, but despite the challenges we faced, our crews dug deep to fight back and score as many points as possible. In the end, we were disappointed not to be challenging for the win, but happy to leave with solid points in the bag," said TGRSA Team Principal, Shameer Variawa.

The penultimate round of the championship takes place in Vryheid, KwaZulu-Natal, on October 31 and November 1, followed by the final round in Thabazimbi on November 21 - 22