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THIRD SUCCESSIVE CATEGORY WIN FOR HINO IN 2012 DAKAR RALLY |
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National Off Road News
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THIRD SUCCESSIVE CATEGORY WIN FOR HINO IN 2012 DAKAR RALLY Hino, the leading Japanese truck manufacturer, continued to build on its amazing record of successes in the gruelling annual Dakar Rally, this time notching up its third consecutive victory in the category for trucks with engines of less than 10-litres capacity. This year’s event started on January 1 in Mar-del-Plata in Argentina, traversed Chile and finished in Lima, Peru, on January 15. The total route for the trucks was 8 336km, made up of 14 competitive special stages, totalling 4 120km, and 4 216km of liaison sections. The highest placed four-wheel-drive Hino 500-Series truck, crewed by Teruhito Sugawara and Seiichi Suzuki placed an excellent ninth overall in a field dominated by so-called “monster trucks” with much larger engines and many of them specially developed for this event. The second Hino, driven by Teruhito’s 70-year-old father, Yoshimasa, and co-driver Hiroyuki Sugiura, placed 24th overall and third in the 10-litre engine category. (Second in this class was the Mercedes-Benz Axor of Dutchmen Johan Elfrink and co-driver Hortulanus, which finished 14th overall, almost five hours behind the leading Hino. The Hino 500 Series has also won the under 10-litre engine capacity category 12 times in the 13 races this category has been contested since this class was first introduced in 1996, Hino, which was the first Japanese truck maker to start competing in the Dakar Rally, in 1991, has finished each of the events it contested. This excluded the 2008 Dakar Rally in Africa, which was cancelled at the last minute due to terrorist threats. Interestingly the second Dakar in which Hino participated finished in Cape Town after starting in Paris, with the Japanese trucks in 4th, 5th, 6th and 10th positions. The big breakthrough came in 1994 with a second position overall. This achievement was repeated in 1995, 1997, 1998, 2001 and 2005. The most successful year was 1997 when Hino became the first and until this year the only maker to take the first three places overall in the truck category when the route went from Dakar to Agades and back to Dakar. Last year Kamaz, of Russia, became the second maker to register a 1-2-3 finish. This year Hino continued its long association with Team Sugawara, which is headed up by Yoshimasa Sugawara, who holds the record for the most consecutive entries in the Dakar Rally at 29. He is the only Japanese to have competed in this epic race on a motorcycle and quad as well as in a car and truck. Now 70 years of age he holds the record for the most consecutive finishes in the Dakar Rally at 21. His son, Teruhito, has already established an amazing record in the Dakar Rally, with only one finish outside the top 10 in 14 years of competition. The team was backed up by a support crew which included five technicians from Hino dealerships in Japan. HINO’S PROUD RECORD: Hino’s has a proud record in long distance rally-raids over 21 years and none of the factory-supported Hino's has had to withdraw from the event due to mechanical failure. 1991 Paris-Dakar: Four starters and three trucks finished 7th, 10th and 14th (out of 109 trucks entered and 44 finishers). The fourth Hino completed the course unofficially, as the driver had to be replaced when he was badly injured in a tyre-changing accident. 1992 Paris-Sirte-Le Cap (which finished in Cape Town): Four trucks entered and they finished 4th, 5th, 6th and 10th in the Camion class. 1992 Paris-Moscow-Beijing: One starter and one finisher, in 6th position. 1993 Paris-Dakar: One starter and one finisher, in 6th place, out of 28 finishers from an original field of 43 trucks. 1994 Paris-Dakar-Paris: One starter and one finisher, in 2nd place out of 10 finishers, from 29 starters in the truck category. 1995 Granada-Dakar: One starter and one finisher, in 2nd place out of 20 finishers from 60 starters in the truck category. 1996 Granada-Dakar: Two starters and two finishers, in 6th and 11th places, from the 70 trucks that started from Granada. (Winner of under 10-litre category) 1997 Dakar-Agades-Dakar: Three starters and three finishers, in 1st, 2nd and 3rd places – a feat never achieved by any truck maker previously or since. (1, 2, 3 in under 10-litre category).1998 Paris-Granada-Dakar: One starter and one finisher, in 2nd place. (Winner of under 10-litre category). 1999 Granada-Dakar: One starter and one finisher, in 4th place, out of the 16 trucks (from an original field of 29 trucks) that made it to the end. (Winner of under 10-litre category). 2000 Dakar-Cairo: One starter and one finisher, in 5th place, out of 23 trucks (from an original field of 66) that made it to the finish. (Winner of under 10-litre category). 2001 Paris-Dakar: Two starters and one finisher, in 2nd place, out of 12 trucks (from an original field of 30) that made it to the finish. (Winner of under 10-litre capacity). The truck that retired with gearbox failure was a private entry and not factory-supported. 2002 Paris-Madrid-Dakar: One starter and one finisher, in 3rd place, out of 15 trucks (from an original field of 34) that made it to the finish. (Winner of under 10-litre category). 2003 Telefonica Dakar: One starter and one finisher, in 5th place, out of 27 trucks (from an original field of 49) that made it to the finish. 2004 Telefonica Dakar: One starter and one finisher, in 5th place, out of 38 trucks (from an original field of 62) that made it to the finish. 2005 Telefonica Dakar: Two starters and two finishers, in 2nd and 5th places, out of 36 trucks (from an original field of 69) that made it to the finish. (Winner of under 10-litre category). 2006 Lisbon-Dakar: Two starters and two finishers, in 5th and 7th places, out of 35 trucks (from an original field of 69) that made it to the finish. 2007 Lisbon-Dakar: Two starters and two finishers, in 9th and 13th places, out of 59 trucks (from an original field of 85) that made it to the finish. (Winner of under 10-litre category)2008 Lisbon-Dakar: The race was cancelled at the last minute due to terrorist threats in North Africa. 2009 Dakar Argentina-Chile: Two starters and two finishers in 14th and 26th positions out of 54 trucks (from an original field of 81) that made it to the finish. (Second in under 10-litre category). 2010 Dakar Argentina-Chile: Two starters and one finisher in 7th position out of 28 trucks (from an original field of 54) that made it to the finish. Winner of the Production Series truck category and under 10-litre engine capacity class. The second Hino Team Sugawara entry was disqualified for missing a check-point. 2011 Dakar Argentina-Chile: Two starters and two finishers in 9th and 13th positions out of 41 finishers from an original field of 66. Winner of the Production Series truck category and under 10-litre category. 2012 Dakar Argentina-Chile-Peru: Two starters and two finishers in 9th and 24th position out of 60 finishers from an original field of 73. Winner of the under 10-litre engine category. |
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CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR DAKAR COMPETITORS |
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National Off Road News
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CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR DAKAR COMPETITORS
On behalf of the Directors and Staff of Motorsport South Africa I would like this opportunity to congratulate all South African competitors who competed in the 2012 Dakar.
Our condolences go out to Iain Stevenson, Neil Scott-Williams and Alfie Cox who did not finish.
In the motorcycle section Darryl Curtis finished 22nd and Greg Raath 84th. South Africa’s adopted Kiwi Chris Birch finished 27th.
In the car section one of South Africa’s greatest motorsportsmen, Giniel de Villiers, with German co-driver Dirk von Zitzewitz came home on the podium in third place. This stellar performance was achieved driving a South African built Toyota Hilux Double Cab sponsored by the Imperial Group and a number of South African sponsors.
This is most probably one of the greatest team efforts in South African Motorsport history as the vehicles were built by Hallspeed in Midrand and the greatest percentage of all componentry was South African. Glynn Hall and his team have once again achieved great heights.
Duncan Vos and Rob Howie, who was instrumental in the design and build of the Toyota vehicles, came home in 11th place. A customer Toyota crewed by Argentinians Alvarez and Graue finished in sixth place.
Mark Corbett and Francois Jordaan finished in 24th place in the locally designed and built Century CR4.
All competitors and fans are urged to welcome Giniel and his team when they land OR Tambo International Airport at 15h30 on Tuesday afternoon. Bring your South African flags and wave them!
Darryl Curtis will be returning on Thursday at the same time. Watch the press for further details!
Francois Pretorius |
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2012 Dakar finishes in Lima |
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National Off Road News
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2012 Dakar Rally – Stage 14Sunday, 15 January 2012 – Pisco – Lima (Peru)Bikes Quads, Cars and Trucks: Liaison: 254km Special Stage: 29km Total: 283km It was with great pride that team-manager Hans Sönksen instructed his engineers and technicians to park their first Pewano PS Laser Volvo XC60 RR in Parc-Ferme in Mar del Plata (Argentina), two days before the start of the 2012 Argentina Chile Peru Dakar Rally. His reason, he did not want a lot of attention before the race, he was confident that the car would show itself off and the team would have such great success that it would create its own hype.The new Pewano-Volvo team from Sweden started the 2012 Dakar rally with high intentions. The goal was to bring the Volvo XC60 RR to Lima and the podium with a top ten finish in the hands of South African Dakar legend Alfie Cox and his German co-driver, Jürgen Schröder.2012 was the pair’s fourth Dakar together and they were very confident about their ability to achieve the team goals. "Sadly enough we never got the opportunity to prove the car and ourselves. The entire team and I are touched by the support so many of you have given us through this tough period. It’s truly heart warming and we want to thank all of you" the team reported one day before the Dakar final. "Our car has now arrived in Lima without a chance to reach the podium this time."
Hans Sönksen reported: "We have conducted a preliminary investigation of the car, being as thorough as we can, given the circumstances. This accident was what is known as a "racing incident".
"We discovered that a hose end to one of the power steering hoses at the steering rack was damaged and probably caused a major leakage of the power steering and hydro jack fluid. We have reached this conclusion based on the inspection of the car, the driver’s experience, location of the car in the dunes, the wind and fire direction."
"We handed over the remains of our car to the ASO in Lima, Peru; they will safely ship it back to Europe, where we will collect it in Le Havre, France, for transportation back home to Sweden. Again, thank you for the support that we have received worldwide. The months of dedication and commitment by many people, it’s not for nothing" the team manager said. Having returned to South Africa, Alfie Cox said: “This is such a disappointment for everyone in the team. That was the most amazing car I have ever driven in a race. She was strong, steady, extremely responsive; I never had to fight the steering or battle to correct her in a slide. The power and speed of this car was definitely amongst the top in the event and it was undoubtedly capable of a top-ten finish, if not a podium. The support we have had before the race was fantastic, but the support we got after the incident was simply overwhelming. Thank you to everyone who has been so extremely encouraging. We don’t know what the future holds yet, but I would really like to drive the XC60 again.”While the last special for the bikes was won by Norway's Pål Anders Ullevålseter of Norway and the car stage by the American Robby Gordon, France clinched the overall victories in both the categories with Cyril Despres taking his fourth and Stephané Peterhansel his tenth overall victory at the Plaza de Armas in Lima, Peru. A total field of 97 motorcycles, 12 quads, 78 cars and 60 trucks finished the 33rd Dakar out of the 443 vehicles that started the rally 15 days ago in Mar del Plata, Argentina.At the finish in Lima the organisers said: “We had warned from the beginning that Peru would be no walk in the park, that stages 12 and 13 would be filled with suspense and had the potential to turn the race upside down. We wanted to keep the suspense until the end and I think things turned out even better than expected, since the race could have been turned upside down in both the car and the motorcycle categories yesterday. It is very good for the sport to keep people on their toes until the end, and Peru is obviously a great scenario if you want to do this: loads of dunes, a great deal of navigational work... We made the most of what the country has to offer in terms of routes, sand and off-course stretches, so we are really happy. Actually, I think everyone is. For us it was important to prove that beautiful sandy stages could be done even here in South America, similar to those we used to do in Mauritania, and I think that is what everyone will remember of the 33rd edition. Peru has put another arrow in our quiver, so we look forward to coming back.” BIKES After covering 8,300 km on roads, courses and dunes since the start in Mar del Plata, when taking the racing gap between Marc Coma and Cyril Despres, the difference is about 8 minutes, however when the penalties are taken into account, the overall lead is 53'20". The Frenchman has won his fourth title in Lima... One more than Coma, his great rival in the elite of this sport! Once again, the extremely close race between the two champions proved that one has to be an all-rounder in order to win a Dakar: physical stamina is important, navigational mistakes were tiny but enough to decide their duel, their piloting was as good as it was fast, strategy played an important role, the mechanical aspect on identical KTMs was well-managed... with a disappointment for Marc Coma: on the eve of the finish, a gearbox breakdown prevented him from fighting on at a time when he was leading the general classification. The Spaniard was also forced to replace his engine, which gave rise to a 45-minute penalty pursuant to the new rule. This time loss proved fatal, following a two-week battle in which victories were measured in seconds.
Behind Despres and Coma, the riders vying for a podium spot were never in a position to challenge the title contenders. Strong and consistent Hélder Rodrigues (Portugal) finished the rally in 3rd place, just like last year. He took a stage win but ended up an hour behind the champion. He may be able to mount a stronger challenge if he races the Yamaha YZF, which neither David Casteu (France) nor Olivier Pain (France) was able to place at the top of the classification. On the route between Mar del Plata and Lima, those following the motorcycle category discovered that the future of Spain no longer rests exclusively on Marc Coma's shoulders. The breakthrough of this year came from Joan Barreda Bort, who lost all chances of shining in the overall classification at the beginning of the rally, finishing in 11th place overall, but was still able to leave his mark on the race, with a stage win and eight specials in the Top 5.
Italy's Alessandro Boturri was the fastest rookie in the Dakar (8th, 2 h 59'04" behind Despres), racing for the new team Bordone-Ferrari, which also placed Jordi Viladoms of Spain in fourth. The Spanish supporters can be happy, with Laia Sanz taking the win in the ladies' category and Stéphane Hamard winning the classification of riders participating without assistance.
At the finish Cyril Despres said: “I always pay attention to detail. I like doing my homework and, in my job, when things go OK you end up winning! Today we won and it's simply fantastic. This is without a shadow of a doubt the toughest Dakar I've ever raced in. It was difficult physically, but even more psychologically. Challenging yourself every morning and fighting on the course takes its toll on your mind. It's not like a 42-kilometre marathon; here, you have to earn your place every morning. All victories are beautiful, but this one is special because it came down to the wire and was decided at the last minute. This was an unimaginable scenario, with the leaders separated by mere seconds. I've done 90 or 85 rallies throughout my life, and this one was the one where I had to fight the hardest. Today will leave its mark on me. There's only one Stephané Peterhansel in the world. I don't know if I'm good at driving cars, I've never tried. What I do know is that he's got a good co-pilot, Jean-Paul Cottret, and I've got a good teammate, Ruben Faria.” Coma: “finished second in what was a difficult rally. I gave it my all every single day. I wish to congratulate Cyril. He's the champion. But I'm going to work hard to try and win again next year. If we keep alternating... it should be my turn! But first I have to work.” Helder Rodrigues: “Making it to the end of a Dakar is always terrific. So finishing on the podium is simply incredible. There are two great riders, Marc and Cyril, and they're tough nuts to crack. I lost 20 minutes in stage 4 and 20 more two days later. I was 40 minutes back, so I knew catching up with them would be hard. Winning the Dakar requires perfect preparation all year round and making sure everything goes well during the race. I'll try and find the solution to be as good as they are. I need a bit more of everything, especially money to build a strong structure.” QUADS The statistics of the quad category are misleading. Defending champion Alejandro Patronelli managed to get back-to-back wins. He seized the lead after the Copiapó-Copiapó loop and never let it go. His brother Marcos lost all his chances when he conceded 1 h 20' in stage 7. But the formal domination of the race by the brothers from Las Flores was contested throughout the entire rally by another Argentinean: Tomás Maffei. Last year's seventh-placed pilot took the lead after stages 4 and 5 and was able to cling onto the Patronellis, only losing his second place after stage 9. The list of stage winners is proof of how hotly contested the race was: four for Maffei, including the prestigious finale in Lima, and three for each of the brothers. Argentina’s Alejandro Patronelli achieving a back-to-back win in 2011 and 2012 said: “The stage was fine. I can't believe the Dakar is over. It was difficult at times but everything turned out okay. It's my second victory. It's very hard to win twice in a row. Last year I suffered a lot with my hand pain, but this year everything was perfect from the beginning to the end. No problems at all. Thank God. I'd like to thank everyone who cheered me on.” CARS After VW and Nissan withdrew, everyone expected it to be a Mini affair, since the X-Raid team seemed to have the best hardware and the best drivers... and this was the case! In the end, the Frankfurt-based team won eight stages out of thirteen with four different pilots, Peterhansel taking three.
Nevertheless, X-Raid's irresistible performance cannot hide Robby Gordon's comeback. Aided by the driving skills of his teammate and defending champion, Qatar's Nasser Al-Attiyah, and propelled by the raw power of his car, the driver from California left his mark on the 33rd edition of the rally, both on the course and in the bivouac, since he was the only pilot able to stand up to the X-Raid tyranny. But, despite his three stage victories, Gordon only managed to finish fifth in the overall classification, more than 2:15' down.
The ever-consistent Giniel de Villiers, with a less boisterous but more effective style, finished third overall. Although his preparation was cut short and the project was still in the making, the South African driver managed to crack a podium place in the very first participation of the new Toyota.
Finally, the win in the two-wheel drive category went to Ronan Chabot and his SMG buggy. He was extremely consistent and beat South Africa's Mark Corbett by over nine hours. This margin would have made much easier the life of Xavier Foj, the winner of the production category! But once again, the Spaniard had to wait until the final part of the race to open the decisive gap and win the race against his best enemy, Japan's Jun Mitsuhashi, by 59'.
Ten times Dakar winner Stephane Peterhansel remarked: “When you think of how hard it is to win a Dakar, it's incredible that I've been able to win ten of them. It's been a long time; I've been waiting for five years to win again! To take the victory in South America is a huge relief; it ranks among my best triumphs. Moreover, the race was very close during the first week and there was always a lot of pressure. This race is stressful, exciting and fascinating, and it's also very rewarding at the end. Now I'm going to party with the entire team and then we'll see. My finest victory will always be my first win in the motorcycle category, but this one has something special to it. I was starting to doubt myself, to think I was growing too old for this, that I'd lost it or that I wasn't made for South America... and in the end everything turned out fine! But I still have a blue bandana from my motorcycling period. I didn't tell anyone, but I kept it in my pocket throughout the entire rally. It's the story of the comeback of the blue bandana.” Giniel de Villiers: “Our aim was to crack the Top 5, since we knew we were at a disadvantage with regard to the Minis. Our car was designed based on the future rules, so we had a power deficit compared with them, especially on sandy surfaces. But our car was completely reliable and our team did a fantastic job. This is an excellent result, finishing on the podium on our first try tastes like a win. The rules are going to change next year, so we'll be even closer and the battle will be awesome. There's no doubt we'll try and win next year.” TRUCKS Today will go down in history as the first time the Dakar rally was won by Gerard de Rooij and the Italian constructor Iveco. A winning combination which already seemed to have it in the bag at the start in Mar del Plata, such were the means mobilised by the Dutch armada to reach their goals. Nevertheless, the balance was only tipped in favour of De Rooij Junior after stage 9, with the withdrawal of Aleš Loprais due to an accident. The young Czech driver had been able to keep Gerard de Rooij in his sights until then, losing only 15'39" in the general classification. Despite this mano a mano, it was De Rooij who left his mark on the 2012 edition by taking five stage wins, the most in the category and leading the race from stage 4 onwards. 25 years after his father Jan, Gerard has written a new chapter of De Rooij history in the Dakar, in a category marked by the failure of the Kamaz to repeat last year's dominating performance. The overhaul of their management team still has to pay dividends. Eduard Nikolayev's disqualification for anti-sportive behaviour in stage 4 showed just how difficult the transition is proving to be. Nevertheless, this allowed Andrey Karginov and the reserved Kazakh Artur Ardavichus to shine by taking their maiden victories at the Dakar.A jubilant and somewhat emotional Gerard de Rooij said: “It's wonderful. I can't believe we already did it this year. It's all thanks to our teamwork. I'm a bit moved, but I'll keep my sunglasses on. The entire race was terrific. I was 22 years old when I embarked on this and now, a decade on, we did it exactly 25 years after my father won the Dakar. I was very nervous before the start this morning, but it was a lot of fun. I'm proud of the entire team and my two cabin mates.” The Dakar caravan will be back in South America in January 2013, where the desert, rocks, riverbeds, dirt tracks and the dunes await their next opportunity to entertain the competitors, when all the hype, excitement and adrenaline will continue. |
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Lima/Peru There are memories that stay with you for ever |
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National Off Road News
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– such as the 2009 Dakar Rally, when Giniel de Villiers (Stellenbosch, South Africa) and Dirk von Zitzewitz (Karlshof, Germany) achieved a notable victory, thereby heralding the beginning of a new era in the world’s toughest rally. It was the rally’s first outing in South America, the first time an African triumphed in this legendary cross-country motorsport event, and the first win for a diesel car too. And highly developed diesel cars have continued to dominate the event ever since. But in the 2012 Dakar Rally, this victorious duo of yesteryear and their new, private Imperial Toyota team began to chip away at the supremacy of the prototypes with typical racing engines, indicating the shape of things to come in the world of cross-country rallying by surprisingly clinching third place in an inferior V8 Hilux fitted with a production-based engine developed for future Dakar rallies. This result is as notable as their 2009 victory and clearly deserves to figure prominently when they look back on their careers. The 2009 Dakar victory forged a strong bond between “Ginny” and “Schnietz”, as they like to call each other. And their outstanding surprise success in the 2012 Dakar Rally has the potential to be a historical turning point in the careers of this amicable driver/co-pilot duo, who aren’t afraid to start from scratch. Theirs is a relationship founded on friendship and respect. Approachable and laidback meets sincere understatement The story of these Dakar Davids who repeatedly undermined the self-image of the off-road Goliaths such as X-raid Mini and Hummer with their daily achievements is the definitive story of the 2012 Dakar Rally. And it’s a story that has given a lift to an entire team, as Giniel de Villiers and Dirk von Zitzewitz have a special status within the Imperial Toyota team headed by Glyn Hall. When not behind the wheel, they are more than happy to give advice to the Dakar rookies, who avidly lap up their every word. Within the team, “GdV” is approachable, laidback and authoritative, while “DvZ” is all about sincere understatement. But in the cockpit, one of them is the boss, while the other gives the orders. It’s a constellation that simply wouldn’t work without a great deal of mutual respect. Around five thousand sentences are exchanged in the cockpit during the Dakar Rally – amounting to more dialogue than there is in some marriages within the space of a year. And the delivery is invariably in the form of an order – there’s no room for kid gloves here. Quotes “Dirk and I have competed in five Dakars together. I was determined to have him as my co-pilot again and there really is no good reason for breaking up such winning team. We have great faith in one another and I really value his work – Dirk is one of the best navigators, if not the best, in the world. And he showed us why that is on the penultimate stage of the 2012 Dakar, when he was the first navigator to navigate his way out of a confusing situation. I think the two of us have a lot of great rallies ahead of us yet.” Giniel de Villiers on Dirk von Zitzewitz “I don’t know any other driver who is both as fast and yet as controlled as Giniel. He systematically pursues the line of attack that we have agreed upon “As a co-pilot, you really need to have faith in your driver, so that you can focus entirely on navigating without permanently having to survey the terrain,” says Dirk von Zitzewitz. “And that’s precisely what makes Giniel and me work so well as a pair: there is mutual appreciation of what each other has to do.” Giniel de Villiers then adds: “We have the same goals that we will doggedly fight to achieve. But when we get out of the car, we are both able to not take ourselves too seriously. And that’s what I really like about our partnership.” Connoisseurs and sportsmen through and through “Life’s too short to drink bad wine,” says Giniel de Villiers. Meanwhile, his co-pilot Dirk von Zitzewitz prefers a well-aged whisky or a well-made cappuccino. But “Ginny” and “Schnietz” are also sportsmen through and through. Giniel de Villiers calls himself an outdoor type and spends a lot of time kitesurfing or on a motorbike. He is always on the go and both he and Dirk von Zitzewitz have mountain bikes provided by the bike manufacturers Specialized. The two of them are Red Bull athletes and they both got themselves physically and mentally ready for the 2012 Dakar Rally in South Africa. And the two of them have very close ties away from the Dakar too, spending up to 150 days a year together on test drives and in rallies. Giniel de Villiers insisted that his co-pilot in the 2012 Dakar Rally be Dirk von Zitzewitz, making von Zitzewitz, who hails from Germany, the only non-South African in the Imperial Toyota team. Speeding things up and slowing things down with just the right co-pilot advice Giniel de Villiers had good reason to want to carry on working with his long-term partner even after parting ways with Volkswagen – the South African and the German have worked together since early 2006 and have so far made it onto the winners’ rostrum together ten times. They are Mr and Mr Reliable. They know their own limits and also those of the material they work with, and this is what reaped them their 2009 Dakar victory. But things looked rather different in 2012. “GdV” and “DvZ” only had 700 kilometres of test driving under their belts ahead of the Dakar – not nearly enough to push their vehicle to the limit on the especially rough rally stages. So, typically for this congenial couple, they opted for a conservative driving style. And once again in 2012, this “less is more” approach meant that de Villiers and von Zitzewitz were in the right place at the right time, giving them the success they had hoped for while others took too many risks and paid the price for it. “Dirk is able to rein me in at just the right time,” says Giniel de Villiers, “but he also knows when to get me to adopt a more aggressive driving style if necessary. I trust him implicitly and we understand each other without having to say a great deal.” In the early days of their partnership, it was precisely this implicit trust that von Zitzewitz found slightly baffling. Harking back to their first test drive together, he comments: “I knew we’d work well together as soon as we got going. But it did take me a while to get used to the fact that Giniel would immediately make a right turn as soon as I instructed him to go right. Every other driver I ever navigated for would take note of my instructions and then examine the situation to work out what I meant – but not Giniel. But after a few kilometres, we had got our timing down to a fine art and we just clicked as a team.” And this is certainly borne out by the pair’s first cross-country rally successes: second in the 2006 Rally of Tunisia, first in the Transibérico Rally, and first in the Rally of Morocco. And in their first Dakar Rally in 2007, the pair enjoyed a comfortable lead until engine trouble caused them to drop back. Sights set on a shared objective – a second Dakar victory “Ginny” and “Schnietz” have clearly set their sights on repeating their Dakar Rally victory of 2009. So when their longstanding employee Volkswagen pulled out of the event, they decided to go with Imperial Toyota, which is looked after by the Hallspeed team that has accompanied Giniel de Villiers since his first forays into off-road sport after having won the South African Touring Car Championship no less than five times. De Villiers is confident that they can achieve their dream with Hallspeed. And the potential of this incredibly hard-working team became apparent after just a few kilometres in the 2012 Dakar Rally – even though the cooperation was actually designed as a long-term project and the Hilux prototype was developed on the basis of new regulations. “Not only our opponents, but also the event organisers, the fans and the media reps were rather surprised by how well we were doing after the first few legs of the rally. We ourselves didn’t expect to be without ever going too far or losing his head. I feel very comfortable being his co-pilot and I have great faith in his driving style and in his accurate understanding of the terrain. It makes us a strong team. And we have also become firm friends over the years.” Dirk von Zitzewitz on Giniel de Villiers Photos giving the firm favourites a run for their money right from the start of the event,” admitted de Villiers. “But when we did, they treated us with respect and were also honestly delighted to see a new manufacturer hotting things up in the Dakar Rally.” The potential offered by the combination of the Imperial Toyota Hilux, Giniel de Villiers and Dirk von Zitzewitz has therefore whetted the appetite for more and for further memorable moments not only of the drivers themselves. And maybe the 2013 Dakar Rally will prove to be one such memorable moment. Provisional overall classification of the 2012 Dakar Rally 1. Stéphane Peterhansel/Jean-Paul Cottret (F/F), Mini, 38h 54m 50s 2. Joan “Nani” Roma/Michel Périn (E/F), Mini, 39h 36m 46s 3. Giniel de Villiers/Dirk von Zitzewitz (ZA/D), Imperial Toyota, 40h 08m 15s 4. Leonid Novitzkiy/Andreas Schulz (RUS/D), Mini, 41h 06m 40s 5. Robby Gordon/Johnny Campbell (USA/USA),* Hummer, 41h 11m 39s 6. Lucio Alvarez/Bernardo Graue (RA/RA), Toyota Overdrive, 43h 00m 38s 7. Carlos Sousa/Jean-Pierre Garcin (P/F), Great Wall, 43h 25m 10s 8. Ricardo Leal dos Santos/Paulo Fiuza (P/P) Mini, 43h 58m 04s 9. Bernhard Ten Brinke/Matthieu Baumel (NL/F), Mitsubishi, 44h 06m 04s 10. Krzysztof Hołowczyz/Jean-Marc Fortin (PL/B), Mini, 45h 54m 24s 11. Duncan Vos/Rob Howie (ZA/ZA), Imperial Toyota, 46h 03m 17s * Disqualified following peculiarity at a technical inspection, have appealed. Background: de Villiers/von Zitzewitz podium finishes 2006 2nd place, Rally of Tunisia with Volkswagen (09/04–17/04/2006) 1st place, Transibérico Rally with Volkswagen (12/05–15/05/2006) 1st place, Rally of Morocco with Volkswagen (31/05–05/06/2006) 2007 1st place, Rally of Morocco with Volkswagen (25/09–30/09/2007) 3rd place, UAE Desert Challenge with Volkswagen (28/10–02/11/2007) 2008 1st place, Rally dos Sertões with Volkswagen (17/06–27/06/2008) 2009 1st place, Dakar Rally with Volkswagen (03/01–17/01/2009) 3rd place, Silk Way Rally with Volkswagen (05/09–13/09/2009) 2011 2nd place, Dakar Rally with Volkswagen (01/01–16/01/2011) 2012 3rd place, Dakar Rally with Imperial Toyota (01/01–15/01/2012) Background: Ambitious “made in South Africa” project One of the biggest names in rallying is making its premiere at the Dakar: the Hallspeed team, representing Imperial Toyota, i first time at the toughest rally in the world. Team owner Glyn Hall's crew had previously made its name on the endurance rall building Dakar vehicles for the Overdrive team, as well as supporting customers in the South African O has also been developing racing cars for Toyota Motorsport in South Africa since 2010. In 2012, Hallspeed is taking the next percent "made in South Africa", the team lines up at the Dakar with two Imperial Toyota Hilux vehicles armed with V8 engines, while Overdrive is also running two further Hiluxes. The South African chain of Toyota dealerships, Imperial, has enrolled a truly high winner Giniel de Villiers and his German co-driver Dirk von Zitzewitz Hilux with start number "301", while Duncan Vos and his co-driver Rob Howie are in car number "313" it comes to the technology and have worked meticulously to prepare for the challenge than 100 days before the first cars were shipped. Media service Useful links motorpics.co.za (Imperial Toyota media database) www.dakar.com (Dakar Rally official website) 2012 Dakar Rally media contact (Toyota South Africa) Ferdi de Vos E-Mail
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2012 Dakar Rally media contact (Dirk von Zitzewitz/Germany) Helge Gerdes Mobile +49 175 5223111 E-Mail
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Offroad Championship for a number of years. Hallspeed high-class crew for the 2012 Dakar: 2009 Daka – the only non-South African in the team – are behind the wheel of the red and white 313". Imperial Toyota have also left nothing to chance when – even though the Dakar project was only given the final go is running its own cars for the rally scene by designing and ffroad step by entering the Dakar: 100 Dakar . go-ahead less |
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