Rally-Raid
Henk Lategan – Leading the Rally-Raid Portugal, “a nice surprise”
Henk Lategan and Brett Cummings. © Red Bull Content Pool
For a first, Henk Lategan and Brett Cummings (Toyota) hit hard! The South African duo, who had never competed in Rally-Raid Portugal before, won the first stage of the 2025 edition, which covered 302 km around Grândola. The Toyota Gazoo Racing W2RC crew finished almost 2 minutes ahead of their teammates, Lucas Moraes and Armand Monleon.
Interviewed by us on his return to the bivouac, Henk Lategan was relieved. He didn't really know how he would fare against much more experienced drivers like Nasser Al-Attiyah (Dacia, 9th) or Carlos Sainz (Ford, 10th)!
"I'm surprised before I'm happy about this stage victory! On these roads, in these types of conditions (fast and marked trails. Editor’s note), I didn't know what to expect. It's a nice surprise and a confidence boost. This special has really reassured me about my level. And then, that's five points in the bag for the championship, I'll gladly take them."
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Henk Lategan is indeed one of the favorites for the title W2RCThe 31-year-old driver is second in the overall standings, just 20 points behind the leader, Nasser Al-Attiyah. However, he doesn't want to think about it too much... " In rally-raid, it's already complicated enough to think about the state of the race standings, because you're racing alone for hundreds of kilometers, without receiving the slightest information about your rivals. I prefer to think about my race, day by day. I can put today's success behind me, and think about the next stage, tomorrow (THURSDAY). "
Precisely, the special n°2 linking Grândola to Badajoz in Spain could serve it. "I'm going to have to open the stage (be the first competitor on the track. Editor's note). Today, that was not my case, and from what the first pilots told me, it was very slippery and the sweeping phenomenon was pronounced.
But on the other hand, if you're too far back in the line of cars, you're slowed down by the airborne dust, and that can cause other problems. (like hitting the side of the road. Ed.). So, it's a gamble we're taking, we'll see tomorrow evening if it paid off."
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Medhi Casaurang
Passionate about the history of motorsport across all disciplines, I learned to read thanks to AUTOhebdo. At least that's what my parents tell everyone when they see my name inside!
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Yves-Henri RANDIER
24/09/2025 at 10:28 a.m.
Henk Lategan, a driver who wore the Peugeot South Africa colours in rallying before successfully switching to rally-raid, a discipline for which South Africa has a magnificent and highly contested national championship!