GINIEL DE VILLIERS
(zaf) 1.78m / 75kgHobbies
golf, bike riding, kite surfing
Sponsors
Specialized, Red Bull, Oakley, Toyota, Duxbury, Netgear, Innovation Group
2023: 4th (Toyota Hilux)
2022: 5th (Toyota Hilux, 1 stage win)
2021: 8th (Toyota Hilux, 1 stage win)
2020: 5th (Toyota Hilux, 1 stage win)
2019: 9th (Toyota Hilux, 1 stage win)
2018: 3rd (Toyota Hilux, 1 stage win)
2017: 5th (Toyota Hilux)
2016: 3rd (Toyota Hilux)
2015: 2nd (Toyota Hilux)
2014: 4th (Toyota Hilux), 1 stage win)
2013: 2nd (Toyota Hilux)
2012: 3rd (Toyota Hilux)
2011: 2nd (Volkswagen, 1 stage win)
2010: 7th (Volkswagen)
2009: winner (Volkswagen, 3 stage wins)
2007: 11th (Volkswagen, 4 stage wins)
2006: 2nd (Volkswagen, 1 stage win)
2005: 4th (2 stage wins, Nissan)
2004: 7th (1 stage win, Nissan)
2003: 5th (with Nissan)
2023: South African cross-country championship
2022: South African cross-country championship (1st)
2021: South African cross-country championship
2020: South African cross-country championship (2nd)
2019: Morocco Rally (1st), South African cross-country championship (1st)
2018: Qatar Rally (Ab.), Kalahari Botswana Toyota 1000 (1st), Morocco Rally (Ab.), South-African Offroad champion
2017: Dakar Series China Rally (18th), Kalahari Botswana Toyota 1000 (1st), South-African Offroad champion
2015 Morocco Rally (4th), Silk Way Rally, Morocco (twice), Transiberico, Dos Sertoes, Egypt, etc
“I'm looking forward to this Dakar”
Not only has Giniel De Villiers won the Dakar, but he is also the joint-record holder for consecutive finishes. Last year on the Saudi Arabian tracks, the South African effectively joined the venerable Yoshimasa Sugawara in the truck category (1989-2009), bringing his record to 20 consecutive participations without a single retirement. The 51-year-old South African, who helped Volkswagen win its first Dakar in 2009, remains a driver of metronomic regularity: only once has he finished outside the Top 10 (in 2007), 15 times in the Top 5 and 7 times on the podium. Perhaps a little less flashy, De Villiers once again put his experience to good use on the last Dakar, climbing to fourth place overall without winning a single stage (he does have 18 of them). And that's no doubt why the Toyota Gazoo team is counting so heavily on this driver who made his Dakar debut in 2003, finishing 5th in a Nissan. Always at the pointy end of his national championship against a promising new generation, De Villiers devotes most of his time to developing the Hilux, notably in Namibia and the Kalahari Desert. On the next Dakar, and in the company of Dennis Murphy, his navigator for the past seven years in the South African championship and for the past three years on the Dakar, the Barrydale native will be invaluable to the young Toyota guard but will always keep in mind the title that he dreams of regaining 11 years later.
G.D.V.: "I grew up on a farm and raced everything I could get my hands on. It all started when I was 4, in a pedal go-kart. My father loved motorsport, and he passed the virus on to me. Then I started on the track, especially in touring cars, before moving to off-road.”
“The Dakar always poses challenges. And we certainly had our share in 2023. Of course, it could have been better for us, but many competitors can probably say the same. It would have been nice to finish on the podium, but overall, Toyota, as a manufacturer, has every reason to be proud. This result proves the Hilux's reliability, and we demonstrated just how good this incredible vehicle is in Saudi Arabia.”
“I'm looking forward to another Dakar. We tested some new things on the car but made no significant modifications. We can only make do with minor improvements. I competed again in the South African championship. It's going to be an interesting Dakar with a lot of young drivers coming through. It's great for the sport and Toyota.”
D.M.: “We had our ups and downs on the 2023 Dakar but finished the rally in a respectable 4th place. What an incredible race. We have to pay tribute to the team members who remain in the background but work like crazy to ensure that we have a perfect car. We didn't have a single mechanical incident throughout the Dakar. Once again, Giniel drove like the champion he is.”
Vehicle
Toyota Gazoo Racing
TOYOTA GR DKR HILUX
TOYOTA GAZOO RACING
- Mark TOYOTA
- Model GR DKR HILUX
- Performance tuner Toyota Gazoo Racing
- Assistance Toyota Gazoo Racing
- Class T1+: Prototype Cross-Country Cars 4x4
Ranking 2024
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