This year’s championship protagonists were none other than Nasser Al-Attiyah and Mathieu Baumel, well-known in Cyprus for their past victories in the Cyprus Rally. Behind the wheel of the GR Hilux T1+, the duo delivered a spectacular season, securing both the Manufacturers’ Championship and the Drivers’ and Co-Drivers’ titles for the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing team.
Al-Attiyah clinched his title in the final round in Morocco. Although the reigning champion did not win the event itself, his performance was more than enough to secure the championship. The rally victory instead went to another Toyota Hilux T1+ crew - Yazeed Al Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk — who are also past winners of the Cyprus Rally.
The 2023 Rally of Morocco consisted of five special stages, starting from the coastal city of Agadir and finishing in Merzouga, covering a total of 2,240 kilometers. It was a crucial event for teams and drivers, not only as the season finale that determined the champion but also as a valuable opportunity to test their machines ahead of the Dakar Rally.
The Moroccan terrain closely mirrored the conditions of the world’s toughest race, held in Saudi Arabia, and TOYOTA GAZOO Racing made full use of this opportunity, introducing several upgrades to the GR DKR Hilux T1+ in preparation for the Dakar challenge.
