“Happy to be back with Dirk”
CREW FACTS…
G.D.V
- Not only has he won the Dakar, but Giniel De Villiers also holds the record for consecutive finishes (ahead of Yoshimasa Sugawara in the truck category, 1989-2009), 21 successive participations without a single retirement.
- At 52, the man who helped Volkswagen win its first Dakar in 2009 remains a driver of metronomic consistency: only once has he finished outside the Top 10 (in 2007), 15 times in the Top 5 and eight times on the podium.
- After making his Dakar debut in 2003, finishing fifth in a Nissan, the Barrydale native wasn't quite as flamboyant in his last Saudi Arabia outing, relegated to seventh place after assisting team-mate Lucas Moreas, who was in contention for the podium.
- Still well established in the factory Toyota Gazoo Racing team, which relies on his experience and consistency, De Villiers reunites with his former co-driver Dirk Von Zitzewitz, with whom he triumphed in 2009.
D.V.Z
- Dirk von Zitzewitz comes from a family steeped in motor racing. His father and brother Bert both competed successfully in motorbikes. Young Dirk was given his first bike for Christmas in 1978. He entered his first race at 14 and, four years later, won his first German Enduro Championship title.
- The native of Eutin in northern Germany won 15 national enduro championship titles. It was on a motorbike that he took on the Dakar in 1997. Riding a KTM, the German finished in a promising fifth place. A year later, he finished seventh and won two special stages.
- The transition to cars came in 2002 when he teamed with American Mark Miller in a Toyota (19th). His performances led him to join the factory Volkswagen team three years later, with Robby Gordon and then Giniel De Villiers, with whom he stepped onto the podium's top step in 2009.
- The two shared the cockpit until 2019 (seven podium finishes) when Von Zitzewitz was recruited by Yazeed Al Rajhi, with whom he contested two editions.
- After a year's absence, the 56-year-old co-driver, who organises motorbike raids, reunites with his long-time driver De Villiers, perhaps for one last hurrah.
AMBITION 2025
G.D.V.: "I grew up on a farm and raced everything I could find. It all started when I was 4, with a pedal go-kart. My father loved motor racing and passed the virus on to me. Then I started on the track, especially in touring cars, before going off-road.
Last year's Dakar was complicated, and the result could have been better. I could have been in the Top 5, but towards the end, we tried to help Lucas (Moraes) finish on the podium and lost more than an hour. It wasn't the best result.
Anyway, we're looking to the future. I'm very excited to be back and happy to be reunited with Dirk (Von Zitzewitz). It's a great reunion with the co-driver with whom I won the rally. We can do a good job and target the same final result. We have a good car. I've done a lot of testing with the Hilux and competed in the South African championship. I hope we'll be better, but there's no doubt the competition will be solid with the new Dacia and the Ford
