Qatar?s Nasser Al-Attiyah and his French co-driver, Mathieu Baumel, successfully defended the Dakar title they won for TOYOTA GAZOO Racing (TGR) in 2022 when they brought their GR DKR Hilux T1+ over the finish line of the final stage of Dakar 2023 on 15 January. The pair lost 5min 41sec to the stage winners, but that hardly mattered, as they sealed the overall victory with a winning margin of 1hr 20min 49sec. Four Toyota Hilux T1+ finished in the top five at Dakar 2023.

The GR DKR Hilux T1+ was first introduced to Dakar by Toyota Gazoo Racing in 2022. 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 of power and 660Nm of torque.  The performance is governed by the rules set out by the FIA, which is well within the performance capability of the production engine. The car’s overall weight is 2,000 kg per the regulations.
Thanks to the competent production version of the Land Cruiser 300 twin-turbo V6 engine, the team could work with the engine in stock form. The standard Toyota turbos are used, as well as a standard intercooler. The orientation of the intercooler is different for the race car, but the part itself remains stock, as it is inherently highly efficient. The car also features a suspension system with a travel of 350mm, allowing the driver to make the most of the 37-inch tall and 320mm wide tyres.

Aluminium wh...