4 Peugeot 2008 DKR16 and 12 Mini All4 Racing. With a bet so remarkable on the part of the opponents face-up to Dakar 2016, Toyota had to respond in a firm way. Toyota will have three riders ‘official’ with the colors of the Toyota Gazoo Racing. Will be Giniel de Villiers, Leeroy Poulter and Yazeed Al-Rajhi. In addition will have a total of five private pilots. All make their debut a Toyota Hilux V8-new generation with the engine of the Lexus RC F and with an output of 387 horses. The model has also improved the suspensions, the transmission and the gearbox.
the birth of The team Toyota Gazoo Racing does not change the approach for the next Dakar. The use of the official name used by the japanese brand for their projects in the WRC or in the World Endurance (WEC) only responds to a question, promotional. In fact, the Toyota Hilux V8 Giniel de Villiers and Leeroy Poulter will be managed by Hallspeed, team associated Toyota south Africa, while the remaining units will be maintained by Overdrive Racing, as has happened in previous editions of the Dakar. In fact, the Hilux V8 Yazeed Al-Rajhi will be Overdrive still taking role of pilot officer.
In any case, the role of pilots ‘officers’ of Giniel de Villiers, Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Leeroy Poulter leads them to become the spearhead of the project of the Dakar 2016. The south african Giniel de Villiers is a pilot with great experience and a regular extreme that has taken him to finish on the podium of the Dakar up on six occasions, three of them at the controls of a Hilux V8. The past year was second and wants to go to be the main alternative to the Mini X-Raid next to his co-pilot Dirk Von Zitzewitz.
Yazeed Al-Rajhi was the pilot revelation of the Dakar 2015. Despite making his debut in the raid more hard of the world, the pilot Arabic was very near to get to reach the podium. She will compete again under the cover of Overdrive despite taking gallons of pilot officer and shall be accompanied by the experienced German co-driver Timo Gottschalk, ex Nasser Al-Attiyah and Carlos Sainz. Finally, the third official driver is Leeroy Poulter. Facing his third Dakar with Rob Howie as a co-pilot and it will after you wrap the title of the Championship south Africa Rally Cross Country.
The five private pilots remaining will compete with drives of the Toyota Hilux V8 Overdrive. That does not mean that the level is lower, or that they do not have the same material, but each one will compete with different supports. The Russian Vladimir Vasilyev, winner of the World FIA Rally Cross Country in 2014, is one of the pilot to have very in account. Ronan Chabot will debut with the team thanks to the support of Toyota France. For his part, Bernhard Ten Brinke and Marek Dabrowski seek to be among the best in the raid, while Martin Prokop will make his debut in the Dakar.
–