Giniel De Villiers found himself among the protagonists of the Dakar 2022 in spite of himself, but certainly not for the performances – albeit good – but for having invested a couple of riders in the Motorcycle category in the space of 24 hours. The first of these in Stage 1 and the second in the next day’s test.
For this reason the race commissioners’ panel had imposed on him two time penalties to be added to the overall race time, for a total of 5 hours and 5 minutes. Toyota then appealed, bringing new tests that convinced the stewards to remove the 5-hour penalty and allowing the South African driver to return to the fight for the podium and for the victory.
“We did our best not to run over that bike. It is very difficult to race on the dunes, because there are riders who are right behind it. It is a shame what happened. The investigation made by the stewards was not correct. The good thing is that the 5-hour penalty has been lifted and we are now back in the race “, said De Villiers on the rest day of the 44th edition of the Dakar.
Toyota driver Gazoo Racing South Africa then recounted what he had to face over the past few days. On social media, many people were unleashed with very harsh comments against him, even going so far as to threaten him with death. This deeply touched De Villiers, who then explained why he inadvertently hit the two centaurs.
“Of course it’s been tough over the past few days. We know how tough it is on social media, with people telling you anything, even death threats. It’s unbelievable. It’s the first time something like this has happened to me. I know. that this happens when the people who write do not know the situation, they know nothing because they are not here. They are sitting at home and it is very easy to comment on something when you do not really know the facts. But still it is quite shocking to read this kind of thing, it’s not nice. So I’m happy that this is over, it’s behind us now. “
# 207 Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota: Giniel De Villiers, Dennis Murphy, # 201 Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota: Nasser Al-Attiyah, Matthieu Baumel
Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool
Following the two accidents, the South African winner of the 2009 edition of the Dakar went to talk to both drivers involved in the accidents to make sure of their condition and to try to explain what happened. For the first of these, César Zumaran, fortunately still in the race, things were resolved with a chat. For the second (a Moroccan driver at his first appearance at the rally raid in Saudi Arabia), De Villiers wanted to promise to pay for a new vehicle and to register for the Dakar 2023. A nice gesture after what happened in Stage 2.
“I talked to both riders, they are both very nice guys. I deeply apologized to them for what happened. Although sometimes, it must be said, it is very difficult where we ride. It is extremely difficult. I still think. that we must try to further improve safety, because if you have motorcycles and cars that run on the same path with the dunes as has already happened, it is really very difficult “.
“My car’s Sentinel system did not work and we have been complaining since Stage 1 where we accumulated a 12 minute delay. It was not working properly. So we didn’t hear the alarm for the whole test and only 2 days ago they did. repaired. They realized it wasn’t working properly, so we couldn’t get a warning in situations where we had vehicles close to us. “
“I have to admit that I was very lucky to avoid the second rider. I did it instinctively, because I wouldn’t have had any way of seeing him behind the dune. The most important thing, though, is that both boys are fine. The first boy. He’s in the race and it’s a very nice thing. I talked to him too. As for the second boy, I’m really sorry for him because his bike was damaged and he couldn’t continue. “
“We will make sure he has a bike for next year and pay for his entry into the Dakar 2023. For him it was his first Dakar and he couldn’t fully enjoy the race. Running it next year is the least we can do and it’s also in the spirit of the Dakar. What is not in the spirit of the Dakar is what has happened in the last two days, with the insults received. But we try to leave it behind and concentrate for the rest of the race, “concluded De Villiers.
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