PERFORMANCE OF THE DAY: A COLOURFUL DAY FOR THE RAINBOW NATION
Today, South Africa achieved the fourth one-two finish of its history in the car category thanks to Saood Variawa and Henk Lategan. Last year, the current 3rd placed driver in the overall rankings won a stage ahead of Guy Botterill. In 2022, Giniel de Villiers finished in front of none other than Lategan, also on a loop around Wadi ad Dawasir. One year earlier than that, the first double also involved the South African legend, followed by Brian Baragwanath.
De Villiers, the godfather of the South African rally school, made his bow on the Dakar in 2003 and won in 2009 with Volkswagen, as well as holding the record of 21 participations without interruption or a premature exit until last year. These metronomic performances put him in the final top 5 fifteen times, including 8 on the podium.
He is an example that today inspires the new generation, who have continued the legacy of his 18 victories on the race. Lategan has already obtained 5 of them, while Variawa has provided an extra dash of colour to the canvas today with the 2nd of his short career. After finishing second on the Dakar 2025, Lategan firmly intends to quickly emulate De Villiers. Why not on 17th January?
Lategan’s Hilux has already led the 48th edition of the Dakar for 48 hours (on stages 4 and 5) and this evening he is 6’08’’ behind the rally leader. South Africa is one of the ‘big five’ in the hunt that will finish in Yanbu.
