Giniel
De Villiers
South Africa
·
Rally Raid
Date of birth | 25 March 1972 |
|---|---|
Place of birth | Barrydale |
Age | 53 |
Nationality | South Africa |
Career start | 1997 |
Disciplines | Rally Raid Car |
Winner of the 2009 Dakar Rally and a six-time Dakar podium visitor, South African rally driver Giniel De Villiers is as one with the Dakar Rally as the very terrain that makes up the course.
But it wasn't always the case; Giniel started out his career as a track racer – and a pretty good one at that. Anyone who needs convincing has only to look at the four South African Touring Car titles he has under his belt, including three in a row from 1997 to 1999.
But in 2001 he needed a change of scenery... literally. So he turned his attention to off-track pursuits, winning the South African Off-Road championship that year.
Four years later, he joined VW and within 12 months he was enjoying success, with wins in the Rally Transiberico and Rally Morocco, as well as second places at the Dakar Rally and the Tunisian Rally.
The withdrawal of VW in 2011 was a blow for the enduro veteran, but another opportunity soon followed. The South African Imperial Toyota team allowed Giniel and his faithful co-driver, Dirk Von Zitzewitz, to carry on doing what they do best.
Giniel now races a Hilux Pick-up and in 2020 he completed the Dakar for the 17th time in a row, which is some feat by anyone's standards.
His results have been impressive, too. In 2012, Giniel and Dirk finished third and in 2013 the pair came home as runners-up. During the 2014 Dakar, Giniel was gunning for the win and claimed four podium finishes throughout the 13 stages – including a win in the final stage in Valparaíso – and finished the rally in fourth place overall.
In 2015, he almost tasted victory, with a runner-up position and remained in great shape the following year, taking third place on the podium in 2016.
He finished in fifth-place overall in the 2017 edition of the Dakar and was back on the podium in third place in 2018 – his eighth podium finish at the Dakar.
A stage win at the 2020 Dakar helped Giniel to fifth place overall that year, while in 2021 there was another stage victory. However, he was unable to add to his collection of podium finishes, taking eighth overall.
Giniel raced the new look Toyota Hilux T1+ model in Saudi Arabia at the 2022 Dakar and won the ninth stage, finishing in fifth place overall. He returned to Saudi Arabia in 2023 with Toyota Gazoo Racing, scoring fourth place overall.
2024 wasn't his most successful Dakar experience, but Giniel is back with Toyota Gazoo Racing for the 2025 edition and has linked up once again with 2009's winning co-driver Dirk von Zitzewitz. Can they repeat that success? With the duo's vast experience, you can never count them out.