Giniel de Villiers and Dirk von Zitzewitz

MOTORING NEWS - Toyota South Africa Motors and Toyota Gazoo Racing SA announced significant changes to its strategy for Dakar 2017 at a press conference held at the brand-new Kyalami during the recent Festival of Motoring, which this year replaced the bi-annual Johannesburg International Motor Show.

Toyot'a press conference included the introduction of a revolutionary new race-vehicle, the Toyota Hilux Evo. Another exciting announcement was the the inclusion of multiple winner of the Dakar Rally, Nasser Al-Attiyah, in the Toyota Gazoo Racing SA squad.

"It is an exciting time for us," says Toyota SA Motors's Glenn Crompton, Vice-President, Marketing. "We firmly believe in the Dakar Rally as a means to showcase our technological advances and the legendary toughness of the Toyota Hilux. The arrival of the new vehicle is the next step on this spectacular journey."

The new race vehicle sports two-wheel-drive, increased suspension travel, on-board tyre inflation and deflation and a larger air restrictor. These changes are hoped to give Toyota Gazoo Racing SA a more competitive footing during Dakar 2017.

In addition to the new vehicle, the team is also overjoyed at the inclusion of former Dakar winner and newly crowned FIA Cross Country World Cup Champion Nasser Al-Attiyah and his navigator Matthieu Baumel, in the team.

Al-Attiyah was rated as the FIA's top driver during 2015, and will bolster the team's chances during Dakar 2017."Nasser has been extremely happy behind the wheel of our Toyota Hilux, winning round after round of the FIA's World Cup," says Toyota Gazoo Racing SA Team Principal, Glyn Hall.

"We're looking forward to his input in the development of the new vehicle, and even more to him donning the Toyota Gazoo Racing SA colours for Dakar 2017." Al-Attiyah will join Giniel de Villiers and Leeroy Poulter in the driver line-up for 2017.

De Villiers will again be partnered by long-standing German navigator, Dirk von Zitzewitz. Poulter will have Rob Howie beside him in the Toyota Gazoo Racing SA Hilux, for their fourth Dakar together.

Poulter stood on the top step of the podium in five rounds of both local rally championships so far, behind the wheel of both the Toyota Gazoo Racing SA Yaris S2 000, as well as the Toyota Gazoo Racing SA Hilux.

The Toyota Hilux has become a familiar sight at global cross-country events, with no fewer than 28 Toyotas completing the 2016 Dakar Rally in the car category alone. Toyota Gazoo Racing SA acknowledged its sponsors and specialist official supplier and technical partner: Hallspeed, TFM, SKF, Spanjaard, Robor, OMP, NGK, Donaldson, Mastercraft, Supreme Springs, Ferodo, Shatterprufe, Smith's Manufacturing, TRD, Peritus Forex, Mapa, TFS and 4x4 Mega World, Duxbury Netgear, Innovation Group and SAA Cargo.

The all-new Toyota Hilux Evo to compete at Dakar 2017 has a revolutionary design which is lighter and faster than 2016 Toyota Hilux.

Dakar 2017 is now less than six months away and the new vehicle represents a revolution for the team. It is an entirely new concept, utilising two-wheel-drive rather than the four-wheel-drive systems which the team says will allow for more freedom than is afforded to four-wheel-drive vehicles.

"We are very excited about this new direction," says Toyota SA Motors' Glenn Crompton. "At its core this is very much still a true Toyota Hilux, but at the same time we firmly believe it offers us new opportunities for Dakar 2017 and beyond."

The new vehicle conforms to all the rules as set out by the FIA, and used by the Amaury Sports Organisation (ASO), organisers of the Dakar Rally. This means the vehicle sports a significantly lower overall weight of 1 300kg as a target, versus the 1 915kg of the 4x4 version of the Toyota Hilux. It also features larger wheels and tyres of 940mm versus 805mm for 4x4 with much greater suspension travel and an onboard tyre inflation/deflation system.

Said Hall: "We've taken all the testing and real-world experience we gained with the four-wheel-drive Toyota Hilux over the past five years, and repackaged it in the lighter, faster Toyota Hilux Evo."

"The important thing for us was to retain as much as possible from the previous vehicle in terms of suspension setup and engine tech," continues Hall. "With this in mind we've stayed with the same proven, state-of-the-art V8 engine, and used all our knowledge when designing and setting up the suspension."

For the 2017 edition of the Dakar the ASO have announced the average altitude for the race is above 2 000m. This means that the normally aspirated V8 will get a 38mm restrictor for the first time, allowing the modern Toyota engine to breathe more efficiently. It will also be the first time that Toyota, MINI and Peugeot will be using the same size restrictor.