Toyota Gazoo Racing W2RC has announced its team for the 2026 Dakar Rally, with a refreshed driver line-up, the latest evolution of the DKR GR Hilux and a strengthened technological partnership with Repsol.
Having secured the 2025 FIA World Rally-Raid Championship titles for drivers and manufacturers, Toyota and Repsol have now presented their sporting and technological program for the 2026 Dakar Rally, which will take place in Saudi Arabia from January 3-17.
On the sporting side, Toyota Gazoo Racing W2RC will contest Dakar 2026 with three crews: Henk Lategan/Brett Cummings, Seth Quintero/Andrew Short and Toby Price/Armand Monleón. They will all be piloting the latest evolution of the DKR GR Hilux.
They will be joined by the Repsol Toyota Rally Team, featuring Isidre Esteve and Txema Villalobos, who will compete using Repsol-developed renewable fuels and lubricants.
Lategan said, “Let me start by saying that being part of a partnership like Repsol and Toyota is truly incredible. They’re not the kinds of sponsors who just put a sticker on the car, hand over money and ask for photos. They’re fully invested in the sporting and technological project, and that’s a huge motivation. As for last year, finishing second means there’s only one step left. It’s easy to say but tough to achieve. We’ve had a very consistent season with constant development on the car, so now we have one clear objective – and we’re going to fight for it. We’ve got the speed, the consistency and the strategy; now we just need to put it all together.”
The evolution of the DKR GR Hilux
Dakar will once again serve as a testing ground for the continued development of the DKR GR Hilux. The vehicle has shown strong reliability, with three wins in the past four editions, and played a key role in Toyota’s 2025 double world title.
The 2026 specification introduces a comprehensive set of improvements developed jointly by the Toyota Gazoo Racing engineering team and researchers from the Repsol Technology Lab.
A major milestone in the collaboration came when Toyota supplied Repsol with a Hilux EVO engine, allowing the Repsol Technology Lab to replicate Dakar-level stress conditions and optimize next-generation fuels and lubricants using precise, fully transferable data.
A technological alliance accelerating decarbonization
For the 2026 edition, Repsol will supply nearly 30,000 liters of gasoline containing 70% renewable content for both the Toyota Gazoo Racing W2RC Team and the Repsol Toyota Rally Team.
Quintero said, “The new Toyota is fantastic, and after two years working closely with Repsol, the goal can only be to win. But there are easily 20 or 30 incredibly fast drivers capable of fighting for victory, so even getting on the podium is extremely tough. In fact, I’ve got three very strong rivals right here next to me who I’ll be battling with to try to make it happen. Over the last few years, Toyota and Repsol have built a great relationship with me, and we have an amazing car. I’ve taken stage wins – now I’m ready to go for the big trophy.”
In related news, Toyota debuts hydrogen-powered GR Corolla with superconductive motor
