Lategan and Cummings Dominate Stage 8, Extend Dakar Rally Lead

Henk Lategan and Brett Cummings continue their impressive Dakar Rally performance, securing victory in Stage 8 in Saudi Arabia on Monday. Their win strengthens their overall lead and edges them closer to making South African motorsport history.

The Toyota Gazoo Racing South Africa (TGRSA) duo completed the 487km timed section between Al Duwadimi and Riyadh in 4:51:54. They outpaced their teammates, Guy Botterill and Denis Murphy, by 1:47.

More significantly, they widened the gap over second-placed Yazeed Al Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk to 5:41 in the general classification. Al Rajhi, in an Overdrive Racing Hilux T1+, started the day just 21 seconds behind Lategan.

In third place overall is Mattias Ekström and Emil Bergkvist in their Ford M-Sport Raptor, trailing Lategan and Cummings by 28:55.

Strong South African Presence

South African teams and drivers continue to excel in the Dakar Rally:

• Brian Baragwanath and Leonard Cremer finished fourth in Stage 8, maintaining 10th in the overall standings.
• Saood Variawa and Francois Cazalet advanced to 23rd overall after finishing 22nd in Stage 8.

South African veteran Giniel de Villiers had to withdraw during Stage 6 due to co-driver Dirk von Zitzewitz’s injury. De Villiers, a Dakar Rally icon, participated in 21 consecutive editions, winning in 2009.

What Lies Ahead

The Dakar Rally heads into a grueling stretch, with:

• A 357km timed section between Riyadh and Haradh on Stage 9.
• Challenges in the notorious Empty Quarter on Stages 10 and 11, covering 120km and 275km, respectively.
• A final 61km timed section to the finish line on Stage 12.

If Lategan and Cummings maintain their lead, they will become the first all-South African crew to win the Dakar Rally. While De Villiers achieved victory in 2009 with German co-driver Dirk von Zitzewitz, Lategan and Cummings could take the top step as a fully South African team in their locally-built Hilux.

Follow Joburg ETC on Facebook, Twitter , TikTok and Instagram

For more News in Johannesburg, visit joburgetc.com