Talk about going out with a bang! Toyota Gazoo Racing South Africa (TGRSA) did more than that in the final event of the season in the 2025 SA Rally-Raid Championship (SARRC), and in spectacular fashion too, by taking all three podium positions at the Northam Bushveld 400 in Thambazimbi last weekend. Saood Variawa (20) and his French navigator Francois Cazalet clinched both the Overall and Ultimate FIA T1+ Championships after a dramatic and fiercely contested final round.
This makes Variawa not only the new youngest race winner in the history of the SARRC, but also the youngest champion, a record previously held by former team-mate Henk Lategan. Going into the main day last Saturday, Variawa was lying fourth and battling very hot conditions as well as a few small issues with the vehicle. The team worked on the car to give Variawa the best chance to take the honours.
Challenging courseThe season decider unfolded across Limpopo’s rugged bushveld, with dry riverbeds, tight game-farm tracks, steep climbs and muddy patches after recent rain shaping a route that was as punishing as it was breathtaking. With only three points separating Variawa/Cazalet from their main rivals, Gareth Woolridge and Boyd Dreyer (Ford), at the start of the weekend, the pressure was immense, and the title remained undecided until the final kilometres of last Saturday’s racing. TGRSA set the tone early by locking out the top four positions in last Friday’s 22km Prologue, where the visiting Portuguese crew of João Ferreira and Filipe Palmeiro topped the times.
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They were followed closely by Guy Botterill and Oriol Mena in second, with Variawa/ Cazalet just five seconds further back. Variawa’s younger brother, Sa’aad, together with Zaheer Bodhanya, also started strongly, ensuring that TGRSA controlled the front of the field going into the day’s 88km stage 1. Racing strategyThe championship narrative took a decisive turn on the Saturday morning. Botterill and Mena were tasked with opening the road, a role that demanded precision and also formed part of a broader strategy to assist Variawa/ Cazalet in gaining the cleanest possible road surface for their title push.
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