Ultimate Dakar racing team
Tomáš Ouředníček will drive the Dakar with a Hilux in the colors of Toyota Gazoo Racing Czech
Seasoned Dakar matador Tomáš Ouředníček will fulfill his racing dream. Together with navigator David Křípal, he will race in the colors of the new Toyota Gazoo Racing Czech team, and he will have at his disposal a new specification Toyota Hilux GR T1+ racing special.
The eight-time participant in the toughest motoring event on the planet is the first Czech long-distance rally driver who will drive under the Toyota Gazoo Racing Czech brand.
“I am extremely happy. To get into a car from the best racing team in the world is every driver’s dream. We have worked hard for a long time to get the opportunity to sit in a top Toyota. It is a great reward for our performances and perseverance. our team motto “never give up”, which we still resolutely fulfill, also helped. Toyota is the winner of three Dakars, and we now get the opportunity to compete with the world’s best,” says Ouředníček.
The first ever Toyota Gazoo Racing team in the Czech Republic
Tomáš Ouředníček has been participating in the Dakar and other endurance rallies regularly since 2008. He won seven Dakar medals, together with navigator David Křípal, he won the largest African race, the Morocco Desert Challenge.
“We are very happy that we could help with the creation of the national variant of the global division of Gazoo Racing, the Toyota Gazoo Racing Czech team. Its establishment is subject to clear and strict rules, and we believe that Toyota Gazoo Racing Czech will support the already strong footprint of the Toyota brand on the Czech market. We expect the experienced team and crew in conjunction with the top special Toyota Hilux to beat the Czech record in this competition,” says Martin Peleška, CEO of Toyota and Lexus CR.
Special Toyota Hilux GR T1+, based on a mid-mounted 5-liter V8 engine from Lexus with an output of 400 hp, 4×4 drive and a specially tuned fully adjustable chassis with independent suspension and even weight distribution, which gives it great stability on the ground.
The racing car, built in the workshops of Toyota Gazoo Racing South Africa, is conceptually identical to Nasser Al-Attiyah’s winning machine from the last two Dakars. “The highlight of this season will of course be Dakar 2024. We want to compete for a top position there, so we still have a lot of work to do. We will be testing and training hard all summer, we are planning European races and the world championship Rally du Maroc in October,” concluded Tomáš Ouředníček.
