Dakar Rally-hardened Toyota GR Hilux coming to Kenya
The Toyota GR Hilux fielded by Toyota Gazoo Racing in last year’s Dakar Rally will be on display in Kenya as part of the 70th anniversary of the Safari Rally.
What you need to know:
- Toyota went on to become one of the most successful brands in African rallies.
- Toyota last won the old format WRC Safari Rally in 1995, and with time scaled down their involvement in the WRC to concentrate on F1.
- They returned to the WRC in 2017.
- Toyota fielded a Yaris GR on their grand return in 2021 WRC and emerged victorious with Sebatien Ogier leading team mate Katsuta Takamoto to a 1-2 finish.
As part of the 70th WRC Safari Rally 70th Anniversary, Cfaso Motors, previously known as Toyota Kenya, has flown in a Toyota GR Hilux fielded by Toyota Gazoo Racing in last year's Dakar Rally held in the desrts of Saudi Arabia.
This is the first ever Dakar Rally competition car to be presented in Kenya.
This particular machine was driven by South African Giniel de Villiers, who powered to a fourth-placed finish last year.
He won the Dakar Rally in 2009.
Qatari Nasser Al-Attiyah, navigated by Frenchman Mathieu Baumel won this year’s and lost year’s Paris Dakar Rally in a similar model.
The work horse will be on display at CFAO Motors showroom along Mombasa Road and Kenyans can go catcha view of it free of charge.
“Powered by a 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6 engine pulled from the latest Toyota Land Cruiser 300 GR Sport, the GR DKR Hilux T1+ engine puts out 298kW( 400HP) of power and 660Nm of torque,” said CFAO Motors Kenya Sales and Products Trainer/Toyota Gazoo Brand Enhancement Kenya manager Sukhjiv Singh Kular said.
Being associated with the WRC Safari Rally makes business sense, said Kular.
The company's return on investment from its sponsorship of the Safari was realised within six months when the limited edition Safari rally special Toyota Hilux pick up model was snapped up by eager buyers.
The car, christened “Shujaa wa Kazi” was used for route survey and route opening tasks and came out a better machine with market feedback shared between Toyota and the WRC Safari.
“This year in celebration of the 70th anniversary of the WRC Safari Rally, Cfao Motors Kenya will commemorate this special occasion by preparing an additional five GR Hilux Safari Rally Limited edition units that will be for sale.”
Every year Toyota ships in a special car to activate its publicity programme.
They started with a Rally Toyota Yaris GR and Juha Kankunnen’s 1985 Toyota Celica TC Turbo Safari Rally winning car in 2021.
Last year, Toyota shipped in the 1995 Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD driven to victory by Yoshio Fujimoto and Arne Hertz in that year’s non WRC points scoring Safari Rally.
These cars re-connected with an older generation of the Safari Rally of yore including former President Uhuru Kenyatta who received at State House the Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD car driven in by the 1994 Safari champion Ian Duncan.
Incidentally Duncan won the 1994 Safari Rally in that very make of Toyota.
Toyota have gone a notch higher by importing a battle hardened Dakar Rally Toyota Hilux which fans will be able to feast their eyes on at the company's showroom in Mombasa road and selected areas in the coming days.
The Hilux is expected to tell the Toyota success story which started in 1984 when Bjorn Waldergaard and Hans Thoselius emerged victorious in a Toyota Celica TC Turbo.
Toyota went on to become one of the most successful brands in African rallies.
Toyota last won the old format WRC Safari Rally in 1995, and with time scaled down their involvement in the WRC to concentrate on F1.
They returned to the WRC in 2017.
Toyota fielded a Yaris GR on their grand return in 2021 WRC and emerged victorious with Sebatien Ogier leading team mate Katsuta Takamoto to a 1-2 finish.
