Toyota’s Nasser slashes the gap to leader Peterhansel South African Gazoo Racing Toyota Hilux star, Qatari Nasser Al Attiyah and Belgian co-driver Matthieu Baumel stormed to Attiyah’s 40th-ever and the duo’s fifth Dakar car day win of 2021. They beat Carlos Sainz and Lucas Cruz and Stephane Peterhansel and Edouard Boulanger’s Mini buggies on Monday’s […]
Al Rajhi, Brabec win on a tough day in the desert Several leading competitors found Sunday’s seventh Dakar 2021 stage tough going as Saudi home hero Yazeed Al Rajhi and Dirk von Zitzewitz’s SA-built Toyota Hilux took the car and Ricky Brabec took the bike wins. Al Rajhi benefited overall leaders Stephane Peterhansel and Edouard […]
Hubert Auriol won the Dakar three times, first on a motorbike (1981 and 1983) and then in a car (1992), and served as race director for almost a decade. He inspired generations of riders and drivers and has been an integral part of the rally throughout its history. The recent updates on the health of […]
Max Verstappen has pledged to “destroy” his new Red Bull colleague Sergio Perez – just as his intention would be with any team-mate. The Dutchman has always been eager to put the advice of his father, Jos, into practice and there is no disputing that ultimately getting the measure of his team-mate is exactly what he […]
Shared from motorsport.com By: Rachit Thukral Overdrive Toyota driver Yazeed Al-Rajhi overcame the X-raid Mini of Stephane Peterhansel to claim a maiden stage win in the Dakar Rally on Sunday. Peterhansel led much of the 453km Stage 7 between Ha’il and Sakaki, the first part of the two-day marathon stage where crews have to do […]
SA cars & crews shine, but welcome a rest after 6 days racing Dakar 2021 reached its midpoint as crews arrived in Ha’il in the Saudi Arabian Desert anticipating a much deserved break following six days of flat out racing across the rocks and dunes. It’s been a dramatic and controversial week for the epic […]
WORDS BY STEPHEN BRUNSDON PHOTOGRAPHY BY RED BULL CONTENT POOL Friday’s sixth stage of the Dakar Rally has been shortened and the start time pushed back by the event organizers, the ASO. The decision comes after a ‘significant number’ of crews struggled with navigation during stage five, most notably defending Dakar winner Carlos Sainz who lost […]
The South African Cross Country Series (SACCS) will again demonstrate its flair for innovation. Following on the success of the double-header at the end of the 2020 COVID shortened season and cramming four events into three months to produce a credible championship motivated the SACCS to introduce a fresh look to the 2021 season. In […]
By: Sergio Lillo Shared from motorsport.com Sebastien Loeb’s hopes of a strong finish on his return to the Dakar Rally received a major blow on Friday when he broke a suspension arm on his Prodrive-built BRX1 contender. Having already been hit by a series of issues in the opening five stages of the rally, including […]
By Paul Hensby Alexander Albon will race in the DTM Series in 2021 alongside his reserve driver role with Red Bull Racing, with the Anglo-Thai driver being joined in the championship by Red Bull Junior Liam Lawson. Twenty-four-year-old Albon, who lost his Red Bull seat to Sergio Pérez for the 2021 Formula 1 season after a lacklustre 2020 season, will race in DTM in […]
Focus It is the kind of recipe in which Saudi Arabia specialises: one containing wadis, valleys and jebels, sprinkled with rocks and served with portions of dunes as well as large plateaux. Such is the setting that the competitors were able to admire between Riyadh and Al Qaisumah… if their eyes were not riveted to […]
Gus Greensmith fronts a youthful M-Sport Ford squad in this year’s FIA World Rally Championship as he tackles his first full season in a Fiesta World Rally Car. The 24-year-old Briton is joined by Teemu Suninen and Adrien Fourmaux, who will share a second Fiesta. Suninen’s schedule is yet to be finalised but the 26-year-old […]
De Villiers takes 17th Dakar stage, but Lategan crashes out South African drivers and cars, Giniel de Villiers’ Gazoo Racing Toyota Hilux and Brian Baragwanath and Taye Perry in a Century CR6 Corvette stole the show on a bittersweet Dakar Day 5 on Thursday, while Kevin Benavides took another controversial bike victory for Honda. The […]
DAKAR / STAGE REPORT By: Rachit Thukral Here is how motorsport.com saw today;s stage four action on the duel in the deset. Toyota star Nasser Al-Attiyah scored his third consecutive stage victory of Dakar 2021 on Wednesday, narrowly beating overall leader Stephane Peterhansel of X-raid Mini. Al-Attiyah, Peterhansel and their teammates Henk Lategan and Carlos Sainz made […]
Focus Somewhat counterintuitively, Dakar stages can sometimes be long and fast at the same time, especially when it comes to transition stages in which the link section makes up much of the course without detracting from the excitement of the race. A big part of the stage took place on tracks, not tarmacs —a thoughtful […]
SA-built Toyotas ahead as Attiyah takes three stage wins on the trot Nasser Al Attiyah and his Gazoo Racing Toyota Hilux won his third Dakar stage on the trot as he stormed to victory over Mini man Stephane Peterhansel at Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Wednesday. The new hero of the race, Toyota’s double South African […]
Focus Altitude has very little effect on the temperature in Saudi Arabia. The riders and crews competed for most of the 403-km special at approximately 1,000 metres above sea level, but the vast plateaux that stretched out to the horizon did not provoke vertigo like the mountains can. However, the wind that continues to gust […]
Nasser wins as Dakar delivers a new star in Henk A new Dakar star was born in the Arabian desert dunes, when South African rookie Henk Lategan delivered a masterful performance to follow teammate Nasser Al Attiyah home to a crushing Toyota Gazoo Hilux 1-2 around Wadi Ad-Dawasir Tuesday. There was drama again on two […]
Stage 2 of Dakar 2021 brought mixed results for TOYOTA GAZOO Racing, with Nasser Al-Attiyah and Mathieu Baumel winning the 477 km-long test; while Giniel de Villiers and Alex Haro lost significant time due to navigational challenges. Overall, Al-Attiyah/Baumel are now in third place overall, and they trail rally leader, Stephane Peterhansel (MINI), by 9min […]
MotoGP Peter McLaren MotoGP team owner Fausto Gresini no longer in a pharmacological coma but remains sedated and connected to a mechanical respirator. Dr Nicola Cilloni of the Alberto Pizzardi Hospital’s Intensive Care Unit in Bologna has provided the latest update on the condition of MotoGP team boss Fausto Gresini. Following a Covid-19 diagnosis and […]
DAKAR / STAGE REPORT By: Rachit Thukral This is how motorsport.com saw stage2 Nasser Al-Attiyah put Toyota on top in the second stage of the 2021 Dakar Rally on Monday, as Stephane Peterhansel eclipsed X-raid Mini teammate Carlos Sainz to take the overall lead. Three-time event winner Sainz started first on the road in the 457km test from […]
SA cars and crews keep on starring on Dakar Day 2 Toyota Gazoo Racing’s Nasser Al Attiyah came from behind to deliver an ultimately crushing Dakar Day 2 victory aboard his proudly South African Hilux. He beat Mini buggy duo Stephane Peterhansel and Carlos Sainz to the win on the long and sandy run from […]
By Nick Sutherland Lewis Hamilton has certainly had a busy few months. The 35-year-old claimed his fourth-consecutive F1 Drivers’ Championship in 2020 and was selected as the BBC Sports Personality of the Year in December. Hamilton’s biggest accomplishment of recent times, though, is being awarded a knighthood in The Queen’s 2021 New Year’s Honours List. One […]
By JOEL DAY The German motorsport legend is 52 today and continues to recover from his tragic skiing accident in 2013. While descending the Combe de Saulire in the French Alps, Schumacher suffered a brain injury that has since left him debilitated. He was skiing with his son and Haas driver, Mick, when crossing an off-piste area of […]
By RACER staff | Here is hw The Racer saw the first stage action. The MINI JCW Buggy team flexed its muscles on the opening special stage of the Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia, as reigning champion Carlos Sainz and teammate Stephane Peterhansel finished 1-2 in the 277km run from the start in Jeddah to Bisha. […]
Dramatic first day turns Dakar order on its head The first proper day of racing at Dakar 2021 proved a true test of mettle on Sunday. Most competitors who qualified well on Saturday, ran into significant navigational issues, almost from the get go. That handed the advantage to those who had been patient — or […]
Attiyah pips Baragwanath, Lategan 6th. Branch 4th in bikes South African cars and crews starred, as against all odds, Dakar 2021 came under starters orders earlier today. 286 cars, bikes, trucks and other contraptions hit the road in anger in Saturday’s Prologue, to determine their starting order for Sunday’s opening stage. It was a great […]
By: Jamie Klein Co-author: Sergio Lillo motorsport.com Toyota has welcomed the imposition of a speed limit for this year’s Dakar Rally, and believes this will prevent rival squad X-raid Mini from “running away” on the event’s faster stages. Revised FIA Cross Country regulations for 2021 restrict competitors in the T1 (which includes Toyota, X-raid and Prodrive’s […]
The South Racing Can-Am Team will be aiming to secure victory and further podium success in the SSV T4 category at the 2021 Dakar Rally, starting in the Saudi Arabian coastal city of Jeddah on January 2nd (Saturday). The Germany-based preparations company has entered six cars under the South Racing Can-Am Team banner, four under the […]
Last year, Nasser Saleh al-Attiyah had a forgettable Dakar Rally. The then defending champion suffered as many as a dozen punctures as the event headed to Saudi Arabia for the first time. Despite the setbacks, the Qatari star finished runner-up behind Spaniard Carlos Sainz by a little over six minutes in his Toyota, numbered 300. […]
TOYOTA GAZOO Racing has successfully cleared all the hurdles for access to Dakar 2021, and the team is primed for action, starting with the short prologue on January 2nd. The prologue will be used to determine the starting positions, but at only 11km in length, it isn’t likely to play a major role in the […]
BY DAVID EVANS, World Rally Champion Sébastien Ogier has told DirtFish next season will absolutely, definitely, 100% be his last year at rallying’s top flight. Seven championships in and with a solid shot at title number eight, DirtFish put it to him that a record-equaling ninth crown could be a reason to extend that Toyota Gazoo […]
By Lewis Larkam Outgoing Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel says he “learned a lot about myself” both on and off track when he endured his worst season in F1 in 2020. Outgoing Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel says he “learned a lot about myself” both on and off track when he endured his worst season in Formula 1 […]
By Sports Car Digest Inaugural edition of the Dakar Classic in 2021. The Dakar Rally is acknowledged as one of the greatest rally raids in the world. It depicts the ultimate human and sporting experience, taking place over a duration of 10 -15 days over several thousand kilometers of some of the most challenging, hostile, […]
BY DAVID EVANS, DIRTFISH SENIOR STAFF WRITER M-Sport Ford team principal Richard Millener has urged the World Rally Championship to learn from and embrace the Monza Rally round that concluded the 2020 season earlier this month. Millener, who was among those to highlight the benefits Monza could offer before the round was confirmed as part of the […]
PHOTOGRAPHY BY FIA WORLD RALLYCROSS MEDIA WORDS BY DOMINIK WILDE You’d be forgiven for thinking that Johan Kristoffersson hadn’t been away from World Rallycross for a year. The 2017 and 2018 champion followed Volkswagen out the door following his second title triumph, spending a year rallying and circuit racing, but in 2020 he picked up […]
By Chris Medland | Mick Schumacher has the chance to race for Haas in 2021 because Ferrari believes he has the potential to represent the Scuderia in future, according to team principal Mattia Binotto. Haas has signed Schumacher and fellow rookie Nikita Mazepin as its 2021 driver line-up. The German secured the Formula 2 championship shortly […]
Online News Editor | laprensalatina.com The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and other associated NGOs on Tuesday criticized the decision to hold the Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia for a second consecutive year, despite ongoing repression, including the recent jailing of a woman’s rights activist. “A year later, the repression orchestrated by the Saudi […]
British Formula One driver caps superb year by being recognised in UK New Year Honours list. Lewis Hamilton’s incredible year has been sealed by being awarded a knighthood for services to motorsport. The 35-year-old equalled Michael Schumacher’s record of seven Formula One world titles this year as he continues to dominate the sport, and his […]
SA’s Bentley Boy takes top international award South Africa’s Bentley Boy, Jordan Pepper has been named the 2020 GT3 Driver of the Year by leading international website sportscar365.com in its annual awards announced on 29 December. “I am truly honoured to be crowned sportscar365.com’s GT3 Driver of the Year,” a delighted Jordan admitted. “It’s been […]