All four TOYOTA GAZOO Racing crews made it safely back to the bivouac at Haradh after Stage 11, where the team’s technical crews were on stand by to service and prepare the Toyota Hilux for the final stage of the 2020 Dakar Rally. The 744-kilometre penultimate stage took crews from the Marathon Bivouac at Shubaytah which included a special stage of 379 kilometres starting with 80 kilometres of dune crossings.

Nasser Al-Attiyah and navigator Mathieu Baumel pushed throughout the second leg of the Marathon Stage in an attempt to make up the 17min 46sec they lost due to navigational challenges on Stage 10. The pair powered the Hilux to second place on the stage to come home just 10 seconds off the lead, and reducing their overall lead gap to 8min 3sec. Nasser and Mathieu were hoping to use the final stage of the event to push for victory in their Dakar Rally title defence, but the final special stage has been shortened by the organisers from 374 kilometres to just 167 kilometres, leaving the crew with a near-impossible target.

It was another solid performance by Giniel de Villiers and navigator Alex Haro on the return leg of the Marathon Stage, crossing the finish line 12min 14sec behind the leaders. The pair reported another clean run in terms of car performance and reliability, moving up to fifth place overall with a gap of 1hr 6min 34sec.

The penultimate stage also saw a sterling performance by Bernhard ten Brinke and navigator Tom Colsoul who finished the stage in fourth place, losing just 10min 14sec to the stage winners. The pair maintain their seventh position in the overall standings, trailing the next spot by just 4min 55sec.

Following repairs overnight by the crew of the damage to the Hilux endured on Stage 10, Fernando Alonso and navigator Marc Coma continued the penultimate stage of the pair’s first-ever Dakar Rally together from 113th place on the road. Showing true determination and sheer grit, the pair made a superb recovery on Stage 11 to bring their battle-worn Hilux back to the bivouac eighth fastest. Ultimately, the roll on Stage 10 cost them a potential overall Top 10 finish, but they look on track to hold on to 13th place overall.

The final stage of the 2020 Dakar Rally will take the crews from Haradh back towards the Saudi Arabian capital of Riyadh. The rally will conclude at the newly built entertainment city of Qiddiyah, 40 kilometres from Riyadh. Competitors will take on a shortened special stage of 167 kilometres with 262 kilometres of liaison, bringing the total route length to 429 kilometres. Once in Qiddiyah, competitors will complete an untimed race called the “Qiddiyah Trophy” before heading to the finishers’ podium.