BOTTERILL AND MENA CLAIM PODIUM AS TGRSA ENDURES TOUGH, PUNCTURE-STREWN STAGE 3

• Guy Botterill and Oriol Mena secure a strong P3 finish on the AlUla loop
• Saood Variawa shows front-running pace despite multiple punctures
• João Ferreira battles through a difficult day marked by early tyre issues
• Focus now shifts to the first Marathon stage and an overnight at the refuge

TOYOTA GAZOO Racing South Africa (TGRSA) delivered a mix of standout performance and hard-earned resilience on Tuesday, as Stage 3 of the 2026 Dakar Rally unfolded over a long and demanding loop around AlUla.

The 421 km special stage, forming part of a 736 km total day, placed sustained pressure on crews with constantly changing terrain, tricky navigation and limited margins for error. With no mid-stage tyre resupply, accuracy and mechanical sympathy proved just as important as outright speed.

Leading the way for TGRSA was Guy Botterill, partnered by Oriol Mena (#218), who produced an impressive drive to finish third on the stage, just 5 minutes 23 seconds behind the winner. Starting deep in the field after their troubles on Stage 2, the pair fought through heavy traffic, dust and repeated punctures to claw back significant time.

“Today was a good day for us,” said Botterill. “We started far down in the field, so we had a challenging run through the traffic and a lot of dust. We got three punctures and had to limp over the line with a flat, but everything paid off. Oriol was fantastic on the notes, we could see a lot of people getting lost and he was right on the money. The main thing is we brought back a lot of time and the car performed really well.”

Saood Variawa and Francois Cazalet (#213) finished Stage 3 in 17th position, 16 minutes 55 seconds off the stage-winning pace, after a day that underlined their speed but was ultimately compromised by tyre damage. The pair ran strongly through the opening sandy sections and repeatedly passed competitors before encountering a series of punctures in the stony second half of the stage.

“Today went quite well at the start, especially in the soft sand,” said Variawa. “We had really good pace, caught and passed a few cars and even passed Loeb. Then the terrain became very stony and we picked up three punctures in total. The road book was tricky and navigation was tough, but we were on it. Everything is okay with the car and I think we’re in a decent place heading into the marathon.”

For João Ferreira and Filipe Palmeiro (#240), Stage 3 proved to be a difficult test of patience and discipline. Two punctures early in the stage forced the Portuguese pairing to back off significantly, with the focus shifting to simply reaching the finish, eventually ending the day 28th, 29 minutes 21 seconds down.

“It was a tough one, very long and much more stony than we expected,” said Ferreira. “We had two punctures at the beginning and had to drive very slowly and carefully after that to avoid more problems. But we survived, and now we focus on the marathon stage.”

After three stages, Variawa and Cazalet hold ninth overall at +10:57, Ferreira and Palmeiro sit 15th at +20:50, while Botterill and Mena move up to 17th overall at +27:37 following their strong recovery drive.

Looking ahead, Stage 4 marks the first Marathon stage of Dakar 2026, taking crews from AlUla to the Marathon Refuge. The 452 km special stage will place a strong emphasis on sand and dirt tracks, with no external assistance allowed overnight. Reliability, careful decision-making and preservation of the cars will be critical as the rally enters one of its most demanding phases.

DAKAR RALLY 2026 – STAGE 3 RESULTS

DAKAR RALLY 2026 – STANDINGS AFTER STAGE 3