"Confident but discreetly"
Crew facts
H.L.
- Henk Lategan has had a challenging journey on the Dakar Rally. It has also been a painful one. After withdrawing from the 2024 edition due to a shoulder injury, the South African returned full of enthusiasm, showing the world that he had the potential to win the rally by finishing second behind Yazeed Al Rajhi.
- Henk grew up in motor racing. At 15, he took part in his first regional event as co-driver for his father Hein. Less than a decade later, he became the youngest driver to win the South African off-road rally championship.
- His career also led him to cross paths with his idol Sébastien Loeb at the Monte Carlo Rally. Henk did not know then that he would meet the Frenchman again at the Dakar Rally. At the time, the young Henk was only competing in traditional rallies behind the wheel of a Skoda.
- Although he was considered a rising star in rally raiding, his learning curve on the Dakar was quite steep. His 2021 debut ended with a serious shoulder injury on day five. A year later, despite two stage victories, Lategan struggled to settle for 31st place. Plagued by numerous navigation errors, mechanical problems, and a rollover, the South African was too inconsistent.
- The 2023 edition went more smoothly, as he finally finished in an awe-inspiring 5th place.
- The 30-year-old Johannesburg-based driver Lategan returns after an excellent season in the W2RC championship, which included winning the Safari Rally on home soil in South Africa — his first in W2RC — on his way to third place in the final general classification. The goal now is to win the Dakar alongside his regular co-driver, Brett Cummings.
B.C.
- Brett Cummings is an old hand at the Dakar Rally. He started as a biker. In 2012, he won the Dakar Challenge after finishing 4th in the Australian Safari, which earned him a free entry to the Dakar. On his first attempt, the South African finished 46th.
- He then entered the world's most difficult rally raid in the malle-moto class, reserved for riders without assistance. He finished 2nd in the class and 28th overall.
- His navigation skills opened the door to a career as a co-driver. He began this new career alongside Henk Lategan in a local South African championship, before naturally returning to the Dakar Rally in 2021. After South America, he is now in the Saudi Arabian desert.
- A mining engineer when he is not in a racing car, Cummings learned the hard way about the Dakar Rally alongside Lategan, and after a few ups and downs, the two finished in an impressive fifth place in 2023.
- When his regular teammate had to withdraw from the 2024 Dakar Rally with a shoulder injury, Brett teamed up with rookie Guy Botterill. Despite their lack of experience together, they finished in a promising 6th place overall.
- Returning with Lategan in 2025, Cummings, a father of two, finished runner-up in the Dakar. The goal is to do even better in 2026 as a member of the Toyota Gazoo factory team.
Ambition
H.L.: "The Dakar hasn't always been smooth sailing for me. It started really, really chaotic. When you hear about this legendary race in the desert and crossing completely crazy terrain, you get an idea in your head, but nothing can prepare you for what you're going to face.
Last year was our best performance so far. We found our stride fairly quickly. We led the race from the start and stayed in the lead for a long time, until everything went wrong. We closed the gap towards the end, but not enough, and it was one of the closest finishes in history. Still, second place is the first loser. Anyway, things are getting better and better. With a bit of luck, we'll move up a step.
When you face setbacks, you have two choices: either you back down, or you come back even stronger. I've become more determined and take it all more seriously. We understand how complex the challenges are and how many obstacles stand in our way. You can't be satisfied with second place! Coming so close and failing, you can't be content with that. In the early years, I was happy just to be there and compete with the best in the world. But over time, your goals change and evolve, and now there's only one left. This year, we're going there to fight.
The Morocco Rally was bittersweet for us. We dropped out of the championship fight after breaking a differential. On the positive side, we gained a lot of experience. Confident, but discreetly, that's the word. I'm not the kind of guy who goes around saying I'm the best.
B.C.: "The last Dakar was the most difficult one yet! We gave it our all and finished 2nd, just 3 minutes and 57 seconds behind. It's an incredible achievement and a privilege. The car was fantastic, and the team that looked after us was the best we could have hoped for. And Henk was impeccable as always, and most importantly, we had fun! It was truly a rollercoaster year, with many highs and a few lows. We would have loved to be on the top step of the World Championship podium, but third place is also an excellent result, especially considering that we missed one round of the World Championship."
