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Issue #14:January 15, 2022
On Friday January 14, teams ran the 2022 Dakar’s final SS (competition stage) over a distance of 166.57 km before reaching the finish. The podium ceremony was held on an F1 circuit set up in the seaside city of Jeddah, marking the end of the 14-day rally. The two Toyota Land Cruiser 200 cars in the production car category reached the finish with the following rankings: Akira Miura (Toyota Auto Body staff) and Laurent Lichtleuchter in car #242 came in 51st place overall with Ronald Basso and Jean-Michel Polato in car #245 coming in at 52nd. With these results, car #242 came in 38th place in the cumulative rankings and won the victory in the production car category. Car #245 came in at 43rd place overall in the cumulative ranking and took 2nd in the category. As a result, TLC completed the rally with a remarkable record in a one-two finish, achieving their 9th consecutive victory in the production car category. Since 2009, the Land Cruiser 200 cars have performed exceptionally well over the last 14 years, and they made a spectacular finish in this year’s Dakar Rally, which was also their last run.
Today’s stage took the teams 230 km north of the bivouac in Bisha to the start of the SS amongst the mountains. Making their way over gravel between small mountains at the start, the terrain changed to hills with lots of tracks.
Tracing the correct tracks to stay on the frequently changing CAP (compass directions) was difficult here, and accurate navigation was a must. Towards the end, the terrain changed to sand. They drove along wadi (dried up riverbeds) and made it to the finish. While not a very long distance, the course required full concentration as there was a risk of punctures and getting stuck. After the SS, they drove a 286.26 km liaison to arrive at the final finish in Jeddah.
It was a short SS but retiring at this point results in an incomplete run. Both TLC cars drove cautiously for the final stage and cleared the difficult navigation without missing a beat. Without getting stuck and with no punctures they safely made it to the finish and caught their breath.
The podium for the podium ceremony was set up on the course at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit which only just hosted its first F1 last autumn. TLC arrived at the podium after eight in the evening. Drivers and navigators of both cars received 1st and 2nd place trophies from the organizers as they waved back at cheering fans. A large part of the rally consisted of sand, a challenging type of course for TLC in the production car category. Out of the five cars that initially entered the category in this tough rally, only the two TLC cars were able to complete it.
Miura (driver): There wasn’t too much sand on today’s SS, but navigation was tough. Despite that, Laurent led me through without missing a beat and thanks to that, we were able to complete the final stage in a way befitting the last run for Land Cruiser 200. I’m extremely proud to be a part of TLC’s 9th consecutive victory in the production car category. Also, this 200 was made to be the best Land Cruiser in the 14 years that it ran. My heart is full of appreciation towards everyone involved in the car’s development over the years.
Basso (driver): I like sandy stages, so it felt great to be a part of this year’s Dakar Rally. The Land Cruiser 200 ran very well and I’m extremely happy that we made a one-two finish.