TOYOTA GAZOO Racing (TGR) will be competing in 2024 with the updated version of its Dakar-winning car, now known as the GR DKR Hilux EVO T1U – a name that reflects both the upgrades to the car and the new W2RC (World Rally-Raid Championship) categorisation.
The team will enter 5 crews at Dakar 2024 which will run soon, and this will be the largest team that TGR has ever fielded at the iconic event which will be held in Saudi Arabia again.
Dakar 2024 will be Round 1 of the 2024 W2RC, and as such it will be a critical rally for TGR’s two confirmed W2RC crews – Lucas Moraes and Armand Monleon, as well as Seth Quintero and Dennis Zenz. These two crews will be keen to get their W2RC campaign off to a solid start, with 4 rounds following the season-opening Dakar Rally.
While the two crews will be fighting for victory in the W2RC after the Dakar Rally, three South African drivers will be taking on the highly competitive and exciting South African Rally-Raid Series (SARRC). This event also serves as the main testing programme for the continuous development of the GR DKR Hilux EVO T1U.
The DKR Hilux EVO T1U
The new truck is 100 mm wider than its predecessor and incorporates several refinements. The suspension has seen specific attention and the air-conditioning unit has been relocated for more efficiency. In addition, the vehicle has been fitted with a new cooling package, allowing for greater redundancy.
The vehicle has been in constant development throughout the year and TGR’s crews have completed nearly 30,000 kms of racing and testing in 2023 season of W2RC and SARRC. Additional tests were conducted in the Kalahari Desert in southern Africa, and considerable test mileage was added in the Namib Desert as part of its final preparations for the Dakar Rally.
Newly-developed biofuel
At the same time, the team has also been integrating its plans for a more sustainable future, with an eye on the Dakar Future project. As part of its commitment to this project, the TGR Dakar Team has partnered with Repsol, to attain the required targets well ahead of the 2026 deadline.
Repsol supplies fuels to TGR with 70% renewable content, using advanced biofuels with a reduction of the carbon footprint of at least 70%, compared to conventional petrol. These renewable fuels have been designed and produced at the Repsol Technology Lab in Madrid from renewable waste material, such as used cooking oil.
TGR has been an extensive research and development partner to Repsol over the last 18 months; first bench-testing and then extensively field testing the Repsol Renewable Fuel 70R+ in various locations, with the final pre-Dakar tests concluding recently in Namibia. The blend used by the team was formulated exclusively for TGR, in accordance with the FIA’s regulations.
To know more about the Hilux you can buy, visit www.toyota.com.my
