The incredible Toyota Gazoo Racing Hilux T1+ went up the famous Goodwood hill recently, with four-time Dakar winner Nasser Al-Attiyah behind the wheel. An expert driver, Al-Attiyah is well used to the heavily modified Hilux pickup, powered by a mid-mounted 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 petrol engine, having raced it to victory on its first appearance at the Dakar Rally in January.

Hilux Goodwood

Despite being tuned to deliver 400hp and 600Nm of torque, the engine is closely related to that found in the Land Cruiser 300 SUV. Fitted with larger wheels than the regular road-going Hilux, and then shod with 37-inch tyres, the uprated and strengthened suspension allows it to cope with tough terrain at high speeds.

Perfectly demonstrating that, Al-Attiyah took the Hilux T1+ on a dramatic high-speed run up Goodwood hill – a hillclimb route paved in smooth tarmac – before immediately venturing onto the rally special stage where the full capabilities of the truck could be demonstrated to the awe-struck public.

Hilux Goodwood

“Of course the festival is a very different environment from what we’re used to dealing with,” explained Nasser Al-Attiyah, “but the crowds are amazing and it has been a very special experience for both me and Mathieu to give them just a taste of what the Dakar Hilux can do.”

This is the first time that both the Hilux T1+ and its pilots – the multi-title-winning duo of driver Nasser Al-Attiyah and navigator Mathieu Baumel – have appeared at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. The pickup and its crew are now competing in the FIA World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC).

Phil Huff
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