World Rally, South African Raid successes for Toyota
In another powerful weekend for Gazoo Racing, not only did Finnish wonder kid Sami Pajari and Marko Salminen make FIA World Rally Championship history by now taking their first three wins on the trot in their WRC Yaris in Paraguay. Multiple South African Rally Champion Guy Botterill and Henry Köhne also tightened their grip on the SA Rally-Raid Championship with a dominant win at Outeniqua.
Starting on the Cape Garden Route, Botterill and Henry Köhne drove the Gazoo Hilux to their second convincing South African Rally Raid win on the trot. The compelling start to finish victory in the 400 kilometre race to cements their position on top of the championship. Extreme weather from a hot, humid first day to a cold, dark Saturday and treacherous conditions throughout, failed to deter the intrepid crew.
Red-Lined dominated the smaller classes
Three minutes and 33 seconds adrift, 2025 winners Giniel de Villiers and Dennis Murphy’s Team Hilux machine mastered the conditions to come back from to second ahead of Gareth Woolridge and Boyd Dreyer’s Ford Rally-Raid as they moved up into second in the chase. Ford teammates, Danie Ludick and Denzil Williamson, and Lance Woolridge and André Vermeulen followed from Dutch Century Racing CR7 crew Michiel Becx and Sander van Barschot.
Seventh overall, German Jurgen Schröder and Rikus Fourie’s WCT Amarok led Ultimate SA T1+ rivals, Red-Lined Revo T1+ crews Johan and Sean van Staden and Philip Botha and Andries Mynhardt, and Eugene Bierman and Marius Lombard’s Century Racing CR6. Nielen Marx and Rikus Hattingh’s Red-Lined VK50 won the Adventurer Class, while Werner and Ian Mostert’s Can-Am Maverick took Side by Side honours and it was a debut home win for Mark and Max Corbett’s new Century CRX.
It was a day to forget from Gazoo Toyota brothers Variawa Saood and Charan Moore and Sa’aad and Oriol Mena as well as Jayden Els and Johann Swemmer’s Century CR7 who all retired on Saturday. But not quite as heartbreaking as it was for Hennie de Klerk and Carl Swanepoel. Their WCT Hilux caught fire and burned out late on Saturday. The team emerged unscathed.
Pajrai makes World Rally History
Moving across to Paraguay, Toyota Gazoo Racing sensation Sami Pajari and Marko Salminen made it a hat trick on top of their maiden Estonian and Finnish wins to complete a remarkable triple. They won by 25 seconds from Hyundai drivers Hayden Paddon and Adrien Fourmaux, GR Yaris duo, championship leader Elvin Evans and Ollie Solberg and Ford man Josh McErlean.
Pajari took control on a dramatic Friday to start Sunday 24 second advantage, which he consolidated to the finish. Kiwi Paddon’s second came on his first top-level WRC gravel start since 2018. He led on Friday and remained Pajari’s closest challenger thereafter as he fought teammate Fourmaux off. Evans now leads Pajari by ten points in the WRC title chase, with Solberg third in a GR Toyota 1-2-3-4.
