Toyota GR DKR Hilux T1+: The new Japanese machine ready for the Dakar

The Paris Dakar Rally is one of the great motorsport events that kick off at the beginning of the year. Its extreme cars, trucks, motorcycles, quads and buggies are a fantastic draw and this year, with the new T1+ regulations, manufacturers have had to adapt their machines to the rules.

The latest to show us its new weapon has been Toyota, presenting its Toyota GR DKR Hilux T1+, with which the victorious Nasser Al-Attiyah will compete, followed by Giniel de Villiers, Henk Lategan and Shameer Variawa, exactly the same team as in the 2021 edition.

A more powerful beast

Specifically, the new Hilux was presented by the division Toyota GAZOO Racing South Africa, that is, the team in charge of developing the vehicles for the Dakar. With this addition, the Hilux still wears a completely black carbon fibre bodywork that undoubtedly gives it a very radical look.

This styling is also reinforced by its wide, muscular proportions. This is because the track width of the new Toyota machine has increased compared to its predecessor (from 245 to 320 mm), and it now runs on 37-inch wheels instead of 32, and its suspension also has greater travel, which has gone from 280 to 350 mm.

A novel engine

As for the mechanical side, the new Toyota GR DKR Hilux T1+ also has novelties. Instead of the naturally aspirated V8 it had until now, it features a twin-turbo 3.5-litre V6 petrol engine that develops 410 CV and a peak of 650 Nm of torque, with which to dominate the Saudi deserts.

Nasser Al-Attiyah, the star of the Toyota team, has conveyed his enthusiasm for the new vehicle he will compete with, saying that “it is faster and more capable than the previous model”.

For now, we just have to wait for the day 2 January, when the Dakar Rally 2022 will start in Hail. Afterwards they will reach Riyadh on 8 January as a rest day before tackling the final stage to Jeddah, thus ending on 14 January.