Interview with Giniel de Villiers after Stage 8 of 2020 Dakar Rally. Giniel De Villiers has finished the Dakar 16 straight times, but his last appearance was a major disappointment. The South African who has only finished outside the Top 10 once (in 2007), had to settle for ninth place last year in Peru. An unfortunate rock (and a broken wheel) dashed his hopes of victory on day three. The 47-year-old veteran is still a major part of the South Africa based Toyota Gazoo team. Preparation for his 17th Dakar consisted of participating in and winning the South African all-terrain Championship for the third consecutive year. His only run outside his national series was a confidence booster. He took the laurels in the Morocco Rally in October ahead of all the discipline’s front-runners. The big change for this cycling enthusiast, who fine-tunes his physical preparation on his Mountain Bike, is his new co-driver. After 11 Dakars with Dirk Von Zitzewitz, this time he will have Alex Haro by his side. The Spaniard finished second overall last year with Nani Roma. De Villiers’ objective is obviously the same: win again, more than 10 years after his only triumph.
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