Toyota driver Saood Variawa endured a tough time in the Safari 1000, seeing his participation in the event come to an early end. But the youngster is already focused on reviving his season next time out in Paris.
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Saood Variawa has had a challenging start to the 2024 South African Rally-Raid Championship (SARRC). The first two rounds did not go as planned and the third round, the Safari 1000 (21-23 June) in the Thabazimbi region, also ended prematurely. Despite these setbacks, the 19-year-old remains optimistic about the rest of the season and is focusing on preparing for the 2025 Dakar Rally.
Heading into the Safari 1000, the Toyota Gazoo Racing South Africa (TGRSA) driver, supported by his father’s company Shameer Variawa Racing (SVR), was aiming for a strong performance to revive his season. After a successful shakedown on Thursday (June 20), he was set to fight for pole position in the 13km prologue. However, a small mistake cost him the top spot.
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Looking back on the prologue, Saood said:
“I made a little mistake, a little overshoot, but it cost us some time. Yet we ended up with our fourth position in the prologue. We started the first round in P2 based on the draw we made after the prologue. And yes, we had a very good pace. We were in the top three in the splits.”
Unfortunately, Friday (Day 1) brought more difficulties. Saood and his French navigator, Francois Cazalet, broke the rear differential lock of their Toyota Hilux IMT EVO, forcing them to end the day cautiously to avoid further damage. They started day 2 in P22.
Despite the setbacks on day 1, Saood and Francois were determined to make a comeback on day 2. Starting lower in the order and fighting the dust of other riders, they climbed into the top 10 with an impressive pace, similar to that of the eventual winners, Henk Lategan and Brett Cummings.
The duo found a strong rhythm, overtook six cars despite the dusty conditions and maintained a top five position on the lap. They closed in on the drivers ahead of them in the general classification and looked set for a strong finish. But motorsport is unpredictable.
Saood told CAR Magazine:
“Unfortunately, sitting in the dust has its own problems. We were almost at the end of the loop, about 4 or 5 km to go. There was a tight left turn and with all the dust I threw the car sideways, got a good angle, but ran a little wide on the exit and hit a small ditch. We broke the rear shock absorbers of the Hilux and that was it for us. It was the end of the Safari 1000.”
Despite the bad luck, Saood is confident that his fortunes will turn around. With a few rounds left in the SARRC season, he is ready to push hard and gain as much experience as possible. The ultimate goal for 2025 is the Dakar Rally, the most important challenge of his season.
The SARRC, known for its demanding nature, serves as an excellent training base for the TGRSA team as they prepare for the Dakar. Saood is already looking forward to his next Dakar participation.
“We are really looking forward to the rest of the SARRC season and starting to train and prepare for the Dakar. Everything seems good and we will see how the next few races go as we work towards the Dakar.”
The next event will take place in Paris in the Free State on 16th and 17th August 2024. These will be two separate races back to back (Rounds 4 and 5) over two days.
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