Giniel de Villiers’ participation in the Dakar 2022 is at risk, as the Toyota driver Gazoo Racing tested positive for COVID-19 before his trip to Saudi Arabia.
The 49-year-old South African is one of the drivers of the factory Toyota team for the 2022 Dakar. Not for nothing, he has been the main development manager of the new GR DKR Hilux T1 + for the past few months, at the team’s headquarters in South Africa.
The test that gave a positive result last Monday prevented him from flying with the rest of the South African team, who had to charter a charter flight to go to Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) this Sunday, where the 44th edition of the legendary rally raid will take the away on January 1st.
According to what Motorsport.com has learned, the veteran, who is expected to take part in his 19th Dakar, has undergone six more COVID-19 tests in hopes of obtaining a negative result that would allow him to leave for Jeddah. which, however, has not yet arrived.
De Villiers underwent a seventh test this morning and is awaiting the results to proceed accordingly. According to sources inside Toyota Gazoo Racing, the winner of the 2009 Dakar has until December 29 to travel to Saudi Arabia and present himself at the start of the 2022 edition.
However, the team has already activated a plan B. Kris Meeke, a former WRC driver who took part in the Dakar for the first time in 2021 in a PH Sport Zephyr T3, and Bernhard Ten Brinke, an Overdrive regular – the structure Toyota logistics to the Dakar – have already traveled to Jeddah as possible substitutes.
Toyota Gazoo Racing will field three factory T1 + cars this year, in addition to the one De Villiers is expected to share with Dennis Murphy. Three-time Dakar winner Nasser Al-Attiyah and two other South Africans, Henk Lategan (second participation) and Shameer Variwa (third participation), will be tasked with trying to fight for the victory, which has eluded them since 2019.
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