TGRSA ready for ultimate endurance test at the GR Stella 1 000 Marathon

Fresh from victory at the opening round of the 2026 South African Rally-Raid Championship (SARRC), Toyota Gazoo Racing South Africa (TGRSA) heads to Stella in the North West Province this weekend for the GR Stella 1 000 Marathon, the toughest and longest event on the national rally-raid calendar. The only three-day event of the season, the GR Stella 1 000 Marathon presents an entirely different challenge to the sprint-style races that make up the remainder of the championship. Covering almost 1 000km through the cattle farming region surrounding Stella, the event rewards consistency, meticulous preparation and mechanical reliability every bit as much as outright speed, making it South Africa’s closest equivalent to the marathon format synonymous with the Dakar Rally and FIA World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC).

For TGRSA, it is also the team’s home event, carrying the GR name and reflecting Toyota’s longstanding commitment to the principles of quality, durability and reliability (QDR). The marathon format provides the ideal proving ground for the GR Hilux IMT EVO, allowing the team to demonstrate the strength and dependability that underpin Toyota’s global rally-raid programme. With the demands of the marathon event firmly in mind, TGRSA has meticulously prepared all three of its GR Hilux IMT EVO race cars for the challenge that lies ahead.

Leading the team’s charge will be defending South African Rally-Raid Champion Saood Variawa, who arrives in Stella as the championship leader after opening the season with victory at the INGCO Parys 400. He will once again be partnered by Charan Moore, whose debut alongside the young champion resulted in an immediate victory and maximum championship points. The second TGRSA entry will see Sa’aad Variawa continue his partnership with Wade Harris. The pair showed encouraging pace during the opening round before a series of setbacks compromised their final result, and they will be eager to convert that speed into a strong finish over the marathon distance.