DAKAR 2025: Toby Retires From Rally After Stage 6 🤕

Stage 5: 11th
Overall: 22nd

Toby and Sam returned to form following the woes of Stage 4, charging from the far back of the pack up into 11th place for the Stage, making an array of passes through dry and dusty conditions, and climbing back into 22nd overall.

“We passed a lot of cars today, had our work cut out for us! Good to be back on the road and charging, lots of dust and unseen bumps which are super hard to predict, but all in all a return to somewhere around the top 10 was welcomed after how the last stage went. Onto the next.”

Stage 6: 22nd
Overall: 20th

Stage 6 proved another challenge for the boys, with technical difficulties placing them in compromising positions - particularly Sam, with the head knocks he had taken up until that point ultimately taking their toll. Though they managed to come home in 22nd, the boys decided to retire the car in favour of Sam’s health, which is the most important part of the race.

It marks a disappointing end to the 2025 Dakar Rally campaign for the duo, especially after showing such promise early on, however if one thing is for sure, both boys poured everything they had into it and showed they have what it takes to run at the front.

“Unfortunately we’ve chosen to withdraw from the Dakar Rally due to medical reasons. Sammy suffered a concussion on Thursday which we kept on the down low because he wanted to soldier on like the true fighter he is. Today we had an issue with the car that pushed us back into the dust with poor visibility and Sammy took another blow to the head, losing vision and making his concussion worse. I feel it’s not fair to keep going because we have so much more to lose than gain.

It’s a shame to finish like this and we’re both gutted. We can fix cars but not humans, and Sam is family to me so his health comes first. We can’t thank everyone enough for their support, especially Black Rock Motor Resort and Overdrive Racing. It means the world to us and we wouldn’t be here without each partner that helped bring this to life! Hopefully, this won’t be our last one, time will only tell and thank you all again, it’s been a wild ride!”