TOYOTA GAZOO Racing wins W2RC title

A tough battle over the closing stage of the 2022 Rally Andalusia saw TOYOTA GAZOO Racing’s Nasser Al-Attiyah and co-driver Mathieu Baumel push their Dakar-winning GR DKR Hilux T1+ to the maximum, aiming for overall victory on the fourth and final event of the inaugural World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC). In the end, they had to settle for second overall, trailing the winners by just 6 seconds after three competitive stages. Even so, they secured enough W2RC points to claim the overall title, in a season that started with victory at the 2022 edition of the Dakar Rally.

The final stage of the rally in Spain, which again started and finished near the city of Dos Hermanas, comprised only 100 km of timed stage, but despite the relatively short distance, the stage proved a stern challenge for the crews. In the end, the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing crew pushed hard, winning the final stage by 22 seconds. This left them just 6 seconds behind the overall rally winners after three competitive stages.

Poor weather forced the organisers of the 2022 Rally Andalusia to cancel Stage 2 of the event, but the three remaining stages offered ample opportunity for the top drivers and co-drivers in the world to battle it out. In the end, TGR’s Nasser and Mathieu had to admit defeat in the overall standings for the event, but they recorded enough W2RC points to take the overall title. In addition to Nasser securing the W2RC Drivers’ title by a margin of 19 points; Mathieu also won the Co-drivers’ title by the same margin. In the Manufacturers’ Championship, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing secured 163 points, resulting in a winning margin of 28 points.