Lategan tops cars, Branch second in bike prologue
South African champions Henk Lategan and Brett Cummings’ Toyota Gazoo Hilux emerged fastest of all from the 2025 Dakar Cars Prologue while Botswana’s World Champion and former triple SA champion Ross Branch was second in the bikes on his works Hero as SA drivers, risers and cars starred on Friday morning.
Lategan and Cummings now take first choice on their starting order , while Branch has second choice on two wheels for Saturday’s first real stage. Lategan and Cummings, who sat last year’s race out after Henk was injured, bounced back in style to beat Swedish crew Mattias Ekström and Emil Bergkvist’s Ford Raptor, and Qatari 5-time Dakar winner Nasser Al-Attiyah and Frenchman Edouard Boulanger’s Dacia Sandrider.
Schroder’s SA Amarok impressed on Prologue
Lithuanians Rokas Baciuska and Oriol Mena were fourth in their Hilux from another rapid South African crew, Brian Baragwanath and Leonard Cremer’s Made in SA Century CR7, and French WRC legend, Sébastien Loeb and Fabian Lurquin’s Dacia. Another South African, Saood Variawa and Frenchman Francois Cazalet were ninth.
German Daniel Schröder and South African Henry Köhne were a stunning provisionally 14th in their brand new Kyalami-built WCT Amarok, Gazoo Hilux crews Guy Botterill and Dennis Murphy 17th and Giniel de Villiers, German Dirk von Zitzewitz 21st on a day where several big guns were conspicuous by their absence. Likely more intent on having solid tracks to follow on Saturday?
Australian Daniel Sanders took the Dakar 2025 Bike prologue from Branch with Sanders’ most impressive factory KTM rookie teammate Edgar Canet was a surprise third on his Rally 2 machine. Honda quartet, Californian 2024 winner, Ricky Brabec, Spaniard Tosha Schareina, Chilean Pablo Quintanilla and Frenchman Adrien Van Beveren were next home ahead of South African surprise, Michael Docherty aboard his Rally 2 BAS World KTM.
Ross Branch was second in the bikes
The Southern African bikers all enjoyed a good first day. 2024 World Rally 2 Champion, Bradley Cox impressed with a fine strategic ride to see him staring 12th on his BAS World KTM, while Aaron Mare should be satisfied with 19th on his HT Husqvarna. Rookie Dwain Barnard enjoyed a speedy run to 83rd on his Nomade Racing KTM, while Willem Avenant took it easy to bring his HT Husqvarna home 124th.
335 machines started the 47th Dakar, comprising 580 riders, drivers and co-drivers from 52 countries around the world. 64 cars set off in the Ultimate class, two in the Stock class, along with 52 Challengers, 39 Side by Sides and 44 trucks. Friday’s 413 km first full stage is a dirt, gravel and sand track loop around Bisha.
