Toyota Gazoo Racing has assembled its three GR DKR Hilux T1+ race cars at the Sea Camp, north of the Saudi Arabian town of Janbu, ahead of the start of the 2023 Dakar Rally.
The GR DKR Hilux T1+ has undergone constant improvement since the 2022 event, winning the inaugural World Rally Raid Championship (W2RC) in the hands of Nasser Al-Attiyah and Mathieu Baumel.
With refinements to the race car’s quality, reliability and durability, the team is confident that it has built an even better vehicle than the one that won the race one year ago. To read in more detail about the GR DKR Hilux T1+ technical improvements, click here.
When does the 2023 Dakar Rally take place?
The 11km-long prologue for the race, which is used to determine the starting orders for the first stage, will get the action under way during the afternoon of 31 December 2022, before the race itself kicks off on New Year’s Day 2023.
The 2023 Dakar Rally promises to be one of the toughest yet, consisting of 14 stages rather than the dozen that has become the norm over the last few editions of the race. Not only that, but the route also ventures further into the so-called Empty Quarter of Saudi Arabia than ever before.
Add to that the Rest Day, which comes well after the mid-point of the race, as well as the removal of mid-stage rest-and-refuel points, and it is clear that the upcoming rally will offer a gruelling test for the competing teams.
What is the route for the 2023 Dakar Rally?
The route for the 2023 Dakar Rally starts at the so-called Sea Camp, on the North-Western coastline of Saudi Arabia. Both the prologue and Stage 1 will be staged from here, before Stage 2 takes the rally towards the stunning rocks and canyons around Alula. Next up is Stage 3 towards Ha’il, where the bivouac will remain in place for three days before shifting to Al Duwadimi for two days. Stage 8 will see the rally reach the Saudi capital of Riyadh, for the much-needed Rest Day.
From here, the route continues in an eastward direction towards Haradh, before shifting into the Empty Quarter for the final few days of the event. This year’s Marathon Stage – where the crews race…
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