#225 🇿🇦Henk Lategan & 🇿🇦Brett Cummings

“LOOKING FORWARD TO DRIVING THE NEW T1+ ON THE DAKAR”

When he arrived on the Dakar a year ago, the microcosm of the discipline saw in him the rising star of rally-raid. It must be said, Henk Lategan grew up in the world of motorsports. At 15 years of age, he participated in his first regional event as his father Hein’s co-driver. Less than a decade later, he became the youngest driver to win the South African rally-raid title. His career also led him to cross paths with his idol Sebastien Loeb on the roads of Monte Carlo. He didn’t know then that they would meet again on the Dakar. At the time, the young Henk raced exclusively in traditional rallies behind the wheel of a Skoda. In 2018, he switched to long-distance racing with the Toyota Gazoo team. Unfortunately, nothing is certain in the Dakar. After a promising start and an impressive second place on stage three in Saudi Arabia, an excess of enthusiasm caught up with the South African, who crashed and injured his shoulder. At 27 years of age, Lategan returns with humility and much more experience. With a third South African championship title under his belt, he will once again count on his co-driver Brett Cummings, a veteran biker who has finished the Dakar twice (2013, 2014). Lategan will be able to take advantage of the brand-new Hilux GR DKR T1+ model, which offers more power and, more importantly, larger wheels and suspension.

H.L.: “Taking part in the Dakar had been a long-time dream of mine. I had to learn quickly. The first two stages were awfully difficult. We had to understand this new way of navigating. Then we were surprised to be competitive with the Dakar legends. Everything was going according to plan, and then we had this accident on stage five. At the time, I suffered a lot. I then stayed in the bivouac to gain more experience even though it wasn’t the situation I had hoped for. The objective was to come back stronger. I am looking forward to driving the new T1+ on the 2022 Dakar, especially after not having the new car due to my commitments in the SACCS (South African Rally Championship). Though I have done quite a bit of testing, and the new tyres and suspension are quite spectacular.”