W2RC 2026 results during Round 1: Dakar Rally

Every year, the FIA World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC) hits the ground running with the Dakar Rally. This iconic event is not only the opening round, it is also the longest, most unforgiving and, as a result, the highlight of the entire season. Toyota has won the event three times since 2019, and the works Gazoo Racing team is leveraging that experience to kick off the W2RC 2026 season with updated crews and a new, stronger DKR GR Hilux prototype.

We will be following the three Toyota works crews throughout the two-week event and publishing regular updates. This is the first, which covers the team’s progress from the opening Prologue to the conclusion of stage four – halfway through the first of two gruelling marathon stages.

W2RC 2026: Dakar Rally result – Prologue to stage four

Prologue: The opening stage was a flat-out 13.5-mile sprint around the Dakar Rally’s start-finish point at the Red Sea. Crews were tasked with climbing through desert sand before descending over rocky terrain to reach the chequered flag. Aware that this was only the start of a fortnight of tough competition, Toyota’s works crews decided on a measured approach.

Seth Quintero and navigator Andrew Short led the charge and brought their #203 Hilux home in fifth place, just 14 seconds off the lead. Despite driving through the dust of other competitors, teammate Toby Price made an assured debut with Toyota at the wheel of the #204 Hilux, moving up to 16th by the end. Meanwhile, Hank Lategan and navigator Brett Cummings suffered an early puncture, which, on such a short opening stage, lost the pair a lot of time and race positions.

Stage 1: The 2026 Dakar Rally truly got underway with this 320-mile inland loop. The fast yet undulating route began on gravel before reaching the mid-stage pit stop zone. It then passed through rocky plateaus and finished with a wider, high-speed section. Sharp roadside rocks throughout the stage meant a high risk of punctures, and with minimal availability of spare wheels it was once again necessary to be cautious, play the long game and ensure all three Hilux models remained in the fight for victory.

A reversed starting order meant that Lategan and Cummings actually opened the stage. Unfortunately, the pair suffered two separate punctures within 60 miles, and with no further spares available until the pit stop they had to slow right down and tiptoe through the rocks. Nevertheless, a determined drive after the mid-stage refresh helped the #202 Hilux stay in touch with the leading pack. Price and co-driver Armand Monleón also picked up a puncture, this time immediately after the service, while Quintero and Short suffered both a puncture and a two-minute penalty for speeding in a controlled zone. The Toyota trio completed the day in 16th, 17th and 18th positions.

Stage 2: A later starting position – and therefore a cleaner route – gave the Toyota crews an opportunity to dominate this 250-mile stage in their new Hilux prototypes. Which indeed they did, capturing three of the top four positions. Interestingly, by the end of the day, GR Hilux prototypes earned a clean sweep of the top five positions.

Quintero and Short were towards the front from the start and moved into the lead around 90 minutes in. A commanding performance over the remainder of the stage saw them win by over 100 seconds – a result that elevated the #203 Hilux into second place overall, just seven seconds from the lead. Lategan and Cummings didn’t start quite so well and lost precious time to two early punctures. But they battled back strongly and finished in second place, their #202 Hilux now elevated to fourth overall. Meanwhile, Price and Monleón narrowly missed out on their first podium together, having finished fourth in the #204 Hilux.

Stage 3: The longest stage so far, this section was run almost entirely at altitude and traced a fast, four-hour route through winding canyons. Punctures remained an ever-present threat and the Toyota crews succumbed multiple times to the razor-sharp edges of the rocks strewn throughout the course. Time taken changing the destroyed wheels penalised the trio by dropping every member out of the top ten.

Lategan and Cummings led Toyota’s charge in the #202 Hilux. Although two punctures in quick succession forced them to ease off the pace, they concluded the day in eleventh overall, within touching distance of the top ten. Hardest hit by punctures was Quintero and Short, who exhausted their supply of spare wheels and had to rely on Price and Monleón to donate one of theirs. Significant time was lost and both parties were forced to preserve what was left of their tyres and limp over the line.

Stage 4: Staying on high-altitude sand and gravel tracks, stage four marked the start of the Dakar Rally’s first two-day marathon. This required the crews to complete back-to-back race days without technical assistance from their backup teams – or, for that matter, anything more comfortable than a standard-issue tent to sleep in and more tasty than ration packs to eat.

As a result of their mid-place finishes the day before, Toyota’s three Hilux prototypes started in the middle of the Ultimate class pack – an unplanned bonus that allowed them to avoid some of the inherent risks of opening the stage. Needless to say, the crews took advantage of this and aimed to recover significant time on their rivals.

Lategan and Cummings took the lead within the opening 60 miles and maintained that dominant performance to build a substantial seven-minute advantage in their #202 Hilux. This stage victory also elevated the pair into the overall lead, nearly four minutes clear of their nearest competitor. Meanwhile, Price and Monleón kept a strong pace to finish seventh on the stage, and Quintero and Short delivered similar consistency to finish in eleventh.

Mid-event Dakar Rally standings (to stage four)

W2RC 2026: When is the next update?

The next update on the team’s progress will be published soon after the conclusion of stage nine, which takes place on 13 January.