Toyota Gazoo Racing South Africa excels in the second stage of the 2025 South African Safari Rally
The event, sponsored by Toyota Gazoo Racing, is the third round of the World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC).
After the struggles of the first stage on Tuesday, yesterday saw a much improved Marathon second stage for the Toyota Gazoo Racing South Africa team in their GR Hilux EVOs at the 2025 South African Safari Rally around Sun City in the North West Province.
Stage win
Local squads Guy Botterill and Dennis Murphy claimed a commanding stage win, while teammates Saood Variawa and Francois Cazalet followed closely behind in second place.
The stage covered 620 kilometres, including a 212 kilometre liaison, a 356 kilometre special stage, and a final 55 kilometre road section into the Marathon bivouac near the town of Stella.
As per Marathon Stage regulations, no external technical support is allowed overnight, requiring crews to service and prepare their vehicles on their own ahead of today's Stage three.
Stage conditions varied, with fast open grassland sections with deep ruts, patches of sand, turf, and short stretches of tarmac. The lack of defined tracks in many areas made for difficult navigation, particularly in the second half of the route, which cut through long grass and densely vegetated areas.
A good day
Botterill and Murphy made the most of their favourable road position to set a time of 3hr 12min 36sec, winning the stage by 55 seconds.
'Today was a great day,' said Botterill.
'We benefited a lot from starting further down, but Dennis was great on the notes, and we managed to put it all together. It was really cool, super fast, high-speed stuff. Navigation was tricky, so I think the guys in front suffered a lot, but that was our story yesterday.
'We capitalised on our position today, pushed really hard, and there were no issues with the car, so a little bit of cleaning up and we'll be good to go.'
Just behind them, Variawa and Cazalet posted their best stage result of the event, finishing second on the day.
'It was a really good day,' said Variawa.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
IOL News
11 hours ago
- IOL News
Xaba smashes course record, Mosiako reclaims title at national half-marathon championships
Glenrose Xaba broke the course record to win the national half-marathon title at the ASA Road Running Championships in Phalaborwa. Image: Athletics South Africa Glenrose Xaba broke the course record to win the national half-marathon title at the ASA Road Running Championships in the Limpopo heat on Saturday, extending her dominance in the race. Thabang Mosiako also delivered a stunning performance to win the men's title in the event in Namakgale, Phalaborwa, which was incorporated into the annual Foskor Half-Marathon. Xaba earned her sixth national title over the 21km distance in the colours of Athletics Gauteng North (AGN). She completed the race in 1:10:03, breaking former world record holder Elana Meyer's course record and finishing more than three minutes clear of Lesotho's Neheng Khatala, who was second in the open race in a time of 1:13:28. Cacisile Sosibo grabbed the silver medal in the national championship contest in 1:15:14, and Samantha Coetzer secured bronze in 1:22:52. 'This race is always run under hot conditions (in Phalaborwa), but it was warm today, but the conditions were not as bad as they can get here,' Xaba said. 'It motivated me to break Elana Meyer's record because I was inspired by her achievements, and I wished one day I could break her records.' Mosiako was also superb, coasting to a comfortable victory in the men's 21km race. He stopped the clock at 1:02:47 to reclaim the SA title he won in 2023, leading an Athletics Central North West (ACNW) sweep of the podium. Mosiako finished well clear of the rest of the field, with Thomas Lebese of Lesotho taking second place in the open race in a time of 1:04:00. Reghan Magwai was third overall in 1:04:16, taking the runner-up spot in the national championships, while ultra-distance specialist Onalenna Khonkhobe earned the bronze medal after clocking 1:04:17. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Thabang Mosiako delivered a stunning performance to win the men's national half-marathon title at the ASA Road Running Championships in Namakgale, Phalaborwa, on Saturday. Image: Athletics South Africa 'After I won in 2023, a rough patch followed me. So, I'm happy with my comeback and I can see the way forward. I think after today I will have that confidence again,' said Mosiako. 'The conditions were not bad because I've been training in Potchefstroom where it's quite hot, so I came here ready for this race.' In other events at the ASA Road Running Championships, Kabelo Mulaudzi won gold for Central Gauteng Athletics in the men's five-kilometre race in 14:00. Musawenkosi Mnisi (AGN) took second place in 14:09, and Jerry Motsau (ACNW) was third in 14:17. In the women's five-kilometre battle, Karabo More (AGN) triumphed in 16:37, with Zanthe Taljaard securing the silver medal for Athletics Vaal Triangle (AVT) in 16:56, and Busisiwe Chamane taking bronze in 17:19 in the colours of KwaZulu-Natal Athletics (KZNA). Over the mile (1.609km) distance, Boikanyo Motlhamme (CGA) charged to victory in 4:02, and Tshegofatso Pilane (AGN) earned silver in 4:03. Ryan Mphahlele (CGA), who also clocked 4:03, finished third. Carmie Prinsloo (AGN) won the women's mile in 4:41, with Ntsoaki Molahloe (KZNA) taking second position in 4:46, and Andrea Steynberg (ACNW) hanging on for bronze in 4:50.
IOL News
2 days ago
- IOL News
Glenrose Xaba gunning for whopping sixth national half-marathon title in a row
Glenrose Xaba finished fifth at the Absa Run Your City Durban 10K on July 13 in a time of 31:50. Glenrose Xaba will chase her sixth national half-marathon title in a row for Athletics Gauteng North (AGN) as part of a star-studded field at the ASA Road Running Championships in Namakgale, Phalaborwa, on Saturday. Men's defending champion Elroy Gelant will also be among the pre-race favourites in the half-marathon that is incorporated into the F21 Half-Marathon. Xaba was the first South African home over the 21.1km distance at last year's national championships in Gqeberha, finishing fourth overall in 1:13:42. Central Gauteng Athletics (CGA) athlete Cacisile Sosibo was fifth, in a time of 1:13:51. She is likely to once again be Xaba's strongest challenger. Gelant, who overcame tough conditions to win the SA men's title in Gqeberha last year, will be joined in the line-up by Athletics Central North West (ACNW) teammate Thabang Mosiako, also a former national champion. They are up against a field that also includes in-form athlete Bennet Seloyi, representing Central Gauteng Athletics (CGA). Xaba holds the national marathon and 10km records on the road, as well as the 5 000m and 10 000m records on the track. The multi-talented star is also eyeing ranking points in her bid to qualify for the track 5 000m and 10 000m at the World Championships in Tokyo in September. The ASA Road Running Championships will also be key to national marathon record holder Gelant's build-up to the world champs. He has made clear his ambition to grab a podium finish at the Tokyo showpiece, after finishing in eleventh place in the marathon at the Paris Olympics.
The Citizen
6 days ago
- The Citizen
Facing East London's curveball of speed and rain in Toyota GR Cup
Adverse conditions made the most daunting and fastest racetrack in South Africa even more of a challenge. Round five of the Toyota GR Cup had the ultimate challenge of rain and speed at the East London Grand Prix Circuit. Image: Toyota Gazoo Racing Having gone a year without a wet race, it was only expected that, at some stage, a round of the Toyota GR Cup would be held in greasy conditions. Facing the monster The fact that it would happen at the East London Grand Prix Circuit added further concern to a track none of us wanted to think about or even recognise at the start of the year. The reality was that round five of the GR Cup, which forms part of the National Extreme Festival, wasn't going to change venue simply because of our fears of flying off the road at the fastest track in the country at over 200 km/h. ALSO READ: From zero to almost podium hero in Toyota GR Cup stunner Aside from the speed factor, the infamous complex section at the back of the track, still known by the older generation by its original name, the Prince George Circuit, presented another challenge as per its description. Changing direction through the back straight sweep and then into the final corner, Beacon Bend, would be the final challenge before repeating the process for a further seven times. Practice Setting out for the perennial three practice sessions on Friday drove the message home hard; adapt or die. Comparable to James Hunt's famous 'big balls' interview with Sterling Moss after the 1976 Spanish Grand Prix, going through Potter's Pass and Rifle Range Bend requires exactly that. Beforehand, there was the task of having to bleed the brakes as new discs were given to our GR Yaris DAT's for the weekend. In sunny but typically blustery coastal conditions, setting off on my first flying lap came with the conclusion that, despite the obvious danger factor of the corners in question, the rest of the track shouldn't be seen as easy. The tight and twisty complex section into the extremely bumpy sweep puts massive force on your neck to the point where my helmet was constantly bashing the roll cage. What's more, a section had been resurfaced, making it incredibly slippery and in need of carefully balancing the throttle with the brakes to avoid a snap oversteer moment onto the lawn on either side. Early on, I had decided not to risk the temptation of taking Potter's flat-out. Neither did my colleagues as only a subtle tap of the brake pedal was needed before letting the car run-out to the kerb on the outside. Practice proved fast but tricky in beautiful sunny conditions. Image: Toyota Gazoo Racing Taking Rifle with a feather foot still came with an indicated speed of 213 km/h. Hitting the brakes for the banked Cocabana hairpin was problematic as my decision to apply the ankers between the 150 m and 100 m marker board didn't leave sufficient time to scrub off enough speed. As such, this resulted in the #16 GR Yaris going too deep and unable to get a fast enough exit onto the Beach straight and into the complex. My initial time of 1.38 was satisfactory, but progress could still be made. With the onset of the second session, I decided to not only adjust my brake markers, but be a bit braver through Potter's and Rifle. Dabbing the brakes into the former, feathering through Rifle and stomping onto the middle pedal earlier did the trick. Along with improvements through the complex all the way through the sweep and into Beacon, I managed shave nearly two seconds off my first run. Hoping to break into the 1.35s didn't materialise as leaving my braking into the complex too late nearly came with an excursion onto the outer karting circuit. Along with my speed being too high into Beacon and the back wanting to step out a few times, I finished my third run with a best time of 1.37, and not overly happy. Qualifying chaos Come qualifying, the status quo was turned upside down by the overnight rain that drenched the circuit, made worse by what was later discovered to be a broken feeder line to the city's main reservoir that pumped litres of water onto the track. Failed to be rectified in time, this led to three separate rivers flowing down the main straight where speeds still breached 160 km/h. Worse still, our Dunlop Direzza rubber was of the semi-slick kind and not likely to excel in the wet and windy weather. Having, however, been keen on a wet race, precision and no longer only speed was to be the key as I headed out for qualifying. As had been the case at the last round at Zwartkops, the growth in the GR Cup again saw 25 cars on the grid, which, despite East London's 3.9 km lap length, required us to be split into groups of two. Being part of the first group, the first run at speed saw us hitting the trio of rivers head-on at over 160 km/h. Qualifying for the one and only race was held on a damp and greasy track. Image: Toyota Gazoo Racing An experience anything but pleasant as the tyres momentarily loose grip, the shudder of hitting the standing water was beyond unnerving and anything but confidence inspiring going into Potter's and Rifle. Still, I dared only lifting off a fractionally more before going into Cocabana. More of a challenge was the complex. With the new surface, I had to get my wrestling gloves out to keep the speed up, but not fly off of the circuit. On more than a few occasions, the rear wanted to break loose, yet I managed to keep it steady and with the process on reply, crossed the line with a time of 1.48 – a full 12 seconds slower than my best lap in the dry. While I had no idea where this was to place me, minutes later, it all became academic as after two laps of the second group starting their session, the CFAO Mobility GR Corolla of Riaan de Ru aquaplaned on the main straight and was catapulted into the outside tyre barrier. Despite having landed upside down, de Ru emerged only shaken in another testament to modern race car safety and construction. Needles to say, the session was red flagged and the entire programme thrown into disarray. Race time Already behind schedule, consultations with the Clerk of the Course resulted in the suspension of both SunBet Kawasaki ZX10 Masters races, a lap reduction for all categories to eight, and the cancellation of the second group's qualifying. By late afternoon, and after more discussions, a decision had been made to run the GR Cup over a single race, but over 12 laps instead of the usual eight, and with double points being given. To make matters fairer, the best times from practise was to be used in setting-up the grid for the race. This meant a fifth place start for me, directly behind fellow GR Yaris drivers Kyle Kock (CAR Magazine), Phuti Mpyane (TimesLive), Lawrence Minnie (AutoTrader) and in front of a slew of GR Corollas. With the NMI Yaris of Werner Venter beside me, I managed to stay close to the yellow TimesLive Yaris in front on the rolling start as the lights went out. Having got off to a good start, and with the legs on the slightly less powerful, manual NMI Yaris, I kept an equal close eye on the green AutoTrader Yaris on my left. Heading into Potter's though, the inevitable happened. Keeping tight to the right, I found myself paying too much attention to Minnie, who had, presumably, started moving over to take the racing line into getting a better entry into Rifle. A drying circuit on race day netted fourth place in the GR Yaris media cup. Image: Toyota Gazoo Racing Contact was unavoidable as the rear right of the no. 17 came into contact with no. 16. Spearing across onto the outside of Potter's as I slammed on the brakes resulted in a typical concertina effect behind, but fortunately without any secondary repercussions. Not happy at an incident I felt had been attributed to me either not giving him enough space, I lost a further two places to Venter and the second NMI entered GR Corolla of Theo Brits before entering Cocabana. With a sizable gap behind, I decided to make the best of a pending bad situation and tried to get away as quickly as I could from the pack behind. On a track still greasy but drying as the rain had stopped during the early afternoon, I managed to ease myself away from the chasing lot, but well out of reach of the pair of the 'Pink Panther' NMI cars in front. Despite a few lairy moments into the complex, again nearly causing a complete standstill after entering way too fast, I did gain an overall place after passing the GR86 of debutant, Gabriel Fernandez, with two laps to go. Crossing the line 13th overall and fourth among the media brigade behind race winner, SuperSport's Nabil Abdool, second placed Phuti and third place finisher Kyle, wasn't the best feeling after what happened at the start. Damage to both Lawrence and my cars were, however, light and having apologised, I felt a bit better knowing that I still had one of my strongest races to date. Time for a break As tricky, difficult and dangerous as East London had been, it had also been one of the most testing, thrilling and best of the season so far. The series now goes on an extended six-week break before reconvening on 13 September for the penultimate round at Killarney in Cape Town. ALSO READ: Return to home ground counts for little in Toyota GR Cup thriller
