W2RC 2025 result after Round 3: Safari Rally

Toyota Gazoo Racing’s three crews delivered memorable performances through South Africa’s inaugural hosting of the World Rally-Raid Championship‘s new Safari Rally event. It represented an emotional win on home soil for Henk Lategan and Brett Cummings, who secured the title in front of friends, family and passionate local crowds. Read how the team’s three top-six finishes brought further 2025 W2RC results for Toyota – not only in terms of a well-deserved overall win, but also in the overall standings.

W2RC 2025 result after Round 3: Safari Rally

This year’s Safari Rally marked the first time that South Africa hosted a round of the W2RC, and the event’s five stages certainly demonstrated the varied terrain of the country’s north-west province. The driver crews remained largely familiar, beginning with Lucas Moraes and Armand Monleon in car #203, and Seth Quintero and Dennis Zenz in car #204. However, they were now joined in car #205 by Henk Lategan and Brett Cummings, who were shifted from TGR’s regional South Africa team to the primary Europe-based Toyota Gazoo Racing team.

Stage 1

Following a strong performance in the scene-setting Prologue, Lategan and Cummings capitalised on their advantageous road position and home knowledge in the opening stage. Navigating the tricky conditions with precision, they kept their #205 GR Hilux Evo in an error-free sweet spot, delivering a clean, fast run to seize the overall lead.

In contrast, teammates Moraes and Monleon faced a challenging day where the fast-changing surface conditions made it hard for the crew to accurately judge their braking points. Despite being set back by multiple overshoots, they reached the end of the stage without incident and in sixth place, trailing Lategan and Cummings by almost five minutes. Meanwhile, Quintero and Zenz suffered two mid-stage mistakes but pushed on to complete the stage.

Thankfully, all three crews reported flawless peformances from their GR Hilux Evos, which handled the dusty tracks, slippery mud sections, sub-tropical woodlands and countless sharp corners with ease.

Stage 2

Having won the previous day’s stage, Lategan and Cummings faced the uneviable task of opening the road as the event transitioned into the first half of its Marathon Stage. With no clear tracks to follow and much of the route cutting through expansive grasslands, the pair lost time navigating through the unmarked terrain. Nevertheless, they completed the stage cleanly and concluded fifth overall — a position that left them well-placed for the remaining stages.

Quintero and Zenz also struggled early on but settled into a strong rhythm and clawed back time in the second half of the stage — enough to claim a slim, 13-second overall lead ahead of the self-supported overnight camp. Similarly, teammates Moraes and Monleon were glad to bounce back from a subdued opening section, citing enhanced in-car communication that allowed them to tackle the tricky navigating with greater confidence. They finished seventh-fastest, which elevated them to third overall.

Safari Rally: Stage 3

After a tough and very cold overnight stop at the remote bivouac, the three GR Hilux Evo crews returned to action — another long day with two 150-160 mile sections split by a short liaison. Lategan and Cummings benefited from a later road position and immediately set about making up for lost time. They caught and passed two rivals early on and showed excellent continuing pace on a route that featured a similar mix of terrain to the previous day. Unfortunately, a broken driveshaft forced them to complete the final section in three-wheel drive. Nevertheless, they still managed to post the fifth-fastest time and elevated themselves to third overall, just 30 seconds off the lead.

Moraes and Monleon enjoyed a clean and consistent run, having maintained their strategy and focus over the two-day Marathon despite the physical toll of a cold and restless night. It was a more difficult day for Quintero and Zenz, who lost time with a less favourable starting position and a few navigational errors. The pair completed stage three in 15th place, but remained in eighth overall.

Stage 4

The penultimate stage took the competitors through a long liaison to a technical, fast-paced special, and concluded with a stick-to-the-speed-limits road section back to the overnight bivouac. The varied terrain remained dry and navigation once again played a key role, particularly in the final 30 miles where finding the correct route proved challenging for several crews.

Lategan and Cummings started the day determined to claw back time in the general classification and made the most of their favourable road position. They maintained a strong pace through the early and middle parts of the stage and reeled in multiple competitors along the way. Although they lost some time toward the end of the stage in difficult navigation sections, they still managed to post the seventh-fastest time of the day. Their consistent performance placed them back at the top of the overall leaderboard, with a narrow 39-second lead over their nearest rival.

Quintero and Zenz also delivered a confident drive and improved their overall standing to fourth. Their pace and start position were critical factors in them staying close to the front, well-positioned for the final push. In contrast, Moraes and Monleon held a strong rhythm until a late navigational error cost them time. The pair had been on track for a potential top-five stage finish, but the mistake saw them drop down the order to fifth, 18 seconds off a provisional podium position.

Stage 5

The final stage saw the crews return to where the event started for a short, sharp loop that brought the rally to a close. While the distance was modest, the intensity remained high, with the overall lead still undecided until the final few miles. Knowing there was a small but valuable buffer to their next-closest competitor, Lategan and Cummings drove a measured stage and finished third-fastest to secure the overall victory.

Toyota’s challenge was further bolstered by another strong performance from Moraes and Monleon, who posted the second-fastest time on the final stage and moved into third place overall — the pair’s second consecutive podium in the 2025 W2RC season. Despite suffering a puncture, Quintero and Zenz completed the rally in sixth overall, to round out a consistent event in which they remained in the mix throughout. The whole team’s combined efforts earned Toyota valuable championship points and extended its healthy lead in the manufacturers’ standings.

Safari Rally final standings

W2RC 2025: manufacturer championship standings

W2RC 2025 programme

With the dust now settled on an unforgettable South African debut for the W2RC, Toyota now looks ahead to Round 4, the BP Ultimate Rally-Raid in Portugal, where the race for the 2025 title continues.

Round one: Dakar Rally, Saudi Arabia, 3-17 January
Round two: Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, United Arab Emirates, 21-27 February
Round three: Safari Rally, South Africa, 18-24 May
Round four: BP Ultimate Rally-Raid, Portugal, 22-28 September
Round five: Rallye du Maroc, Morocco, 10-17 October

Learn more: How did Toyota end the W2RC 2024 season?