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Issue #6:January 10, 2025
At the 2025 Dakar Rally, a 428 km competition section took place on January 9th between AlUla and Ha'il, taking teams to the mountainous region of northern Saudi Arabia.
It was the second day of the marathon stage, where teams must go without receiving mechanical assistance or parts supply. It was also the final stage of the first half of the rally, and that might be why such a challenging and lengthy course was set.
TLC's two Land Cruiser 300s, competing in the Production Car (Stock) category, finished safely without major issues thanks to steady driving and accurate navigation. Akira Miura and Jean-Michel Polato in car #500 finished 80th overall in the Car category and 1st in the Production Car (Stock) category, while Ronald Basso and Jean-Pierre Garcin in car #501 finished 83rd overall and 2nd in the same category.
As a result, TLC has maintained their one-two position in the Production Car (Stock) category at the end of the rally’s first half, with their cumulative rankings as follows: Car #501 is in 90th place overall, while car #500, with a time gap of 55 minutes and 39 seconds, is in 94th place overall. They have continued to clear the stages without any Day Retire incidents.
The route on the 9th started with a short 1 km liaison (transfer section) from the AlUla bivouac, followed by an SS (Special Stage). The terrain was half gravel and half sand, with repeated high-speed sections and sections where careful, slow driving was required. Navigation was complex in several places, and the final part of the stage passed through soft fesh-fesh before reaching the finish. After that, they traveled 64 km to the bivouac set up on the outskirts of Ha'il.
Car #500, which had two punctures the previous day, set the tire pressure, which was too high, slightly lower and adjusted the pace to slow down on rocky terrain, finishing without any punctures. Car #501 followed behind car #500 to reduce the risk of the marathon stage and also managed to finish without any punctures.
January 10th is a rest day at the Ha'il bivouac. No competition stages will be held; it is a day to refresh the vehicles and drivers in preparation for the second half of the rally starting on the 11th. As soon as the vehicles arrived at the TLC bivouac, the eagerly waiting mechanics immediately began inspection and maintenance work.
Miura (driver): The first half of the race ended today, but the delay due to electrical issues during THE 48-HOUR CHRONO STAGE is still regrettable. We couldn't push too hard to make up for it and had to continue driving with restraint. I'm looking forward to the second half of the rally.
Basso (driver): The two days of the marathon stage went well overall. Although we had one puncture yesterday, we drove behind car #500 to avoid risks, so there were no major issues with navigation. Today, we also followed behind car #500, maintained a good rhythm, and suffered no punctures.