Press Release

Toyo Tire Corporation (Headquarters: Itami City, Hyogo Prefecture; President & CEO: Takashi Shimizu; hereinafter, “Toyo Tire”) has supported Team Land Cruiser Toyota Auto Body (hereinafter, “TLC”), the rally team of Toyota Auto Body Co., Ltd. (Head Office: Kariya City, Aichi Prefecture; President: Katsuhiro Matsuo), in the Dakar Rally since 2021.

In Dakar Rally 2025 held in Saudi Arabia from January 3 to 17, 2025, TLC’s vehicles, equipped with the OPEN COUNTRY M/T-R, Toyo Tire’s pick-up truck and SUV tires partially made from sustainable materials, won the Production Car category, giving TLC their 12th consecutive victory.

^{(Left: TLC’s vehicle, Land Cruiser 300 GR SPORT; Right: TLC achieved its 12th consecutive victory)}

Toyo Tire has provided two Land Cruiser 300 GR SPORT vehicles (specially modified for Dakar Rally 2025) with the OPEN COUNTRY M/T-R tires (also specially designed for Dakar Rally 2025; hereinafter, “Product”), which it developed by leveraging the technology and experience in off-road racing cultivated together with TLC. The Product not only offers improved driving performance on rough surfaces such as rocky terrains and deserts, but also uses sustainable materials for 55% of the total weight of the tire to reduce environmental impact.

This year, the route stretched from Bisha in southwestern Saudi Arabia to Shubaytah in the east. The participants competed for the lowest cumulative driving time in the 12 special stages (competitive sections) and the liaison sections (untimed sections) that connect the distances between the special stages. The total distance covered was approximately 7,400 km, including long dune stages with steep gradients that are hard on the vehicles and tires. Despite the challenges, both TLC vehicles successfully finished the race with the support of the Product’s outstanding performance on rough terrains.

In the Production Car category, Akira Miura and Jean Michel Polato took first place, while Ronald Basso and Jean Pierre Galsan finished second, achieving a one-two finish and marking TLC’s 12th consecutive victory in this category.

■ Comments from Akira Miura
“Hailed as the toughest in the history of the Dakar Rally, this race was just as challenging as expected. There were moments when I suspected it would be impossible for a production car to finish the race, but OPEN COUNTRY consistently moved our vehicles forward. These tires not only deliver exceptional performance but also create a seamless connection between vehicle and driver, reinforcing our trust in the Land Cruiser and pushing us toward the finish line without giving up. I want to thank the fans of OPEN COUNTRY and everyone involved in developing this fantastic tire for their unwavering support.”

■ Comments from Yuji Kakutani (TLC Director)
“This year’s race was yet another daunting challenge. In the first half, we navigated roads littered with treacherous rocks—some as large as stone mills, others sharp and hidden beneath the dunes. In the second half, we had to tackle one of the world’s largest dune fields, a formidable sand wall stretching 15 km wide. Without our crew’s composed handling and the strong support of OPEN COUNTRY, we wouldn’t have been able to overcome such harsh conditions. As a result, TLC achieved a one-two finish and marked our 12th consecutive victory in the Production Car category. This triumph is the result of the entire team’s dedication and the invaluable support of everyone involved. I cannot thank them enough.”

Toyo Tire feeds back the experiences from off-road races held under harsh conditions to enhance the development and performance of its pickup truck and SUV tires. To contribute to the realization of a next-generation mobility society, Toyo Tire will continue to devote itself to strengthening its product/material development and technology, building product and raw material recycling technology, and developing alternative materials for environmentally hazardous substances.

Reference

■ OPEN COUNTRY M/T-R (specially modified for Dakar Rally 2025)

The Product was customized by tuning OPEN COUNTRY M/T-R to become compatible with TLC’s Land Cruiser 300 GR SPORT (specially modified for Dakar Rally 2025), featuring superior driving performance, wear resistance, and durability on rough surfaces such as rocky terrains and deserts.
Fifty-five percent of the Product’s total weight is made from sustainable materials.
In addition to using butadiene rubber and styrene-butadiene rubber derived from biomass*, as well as rice husk ash silica, vegetable-derived oil, bio-derived polyester fiber, and recycled bead wires, as with its predecessor, the new model designed for Dakar Rally 2025 also includes carbon black sourced from pyrolysis oil, alongside recycled carbon black from used tires.

^{* Derived from renewable resources such as plants}