Toyota guns for hat trick of �Mantshwabisi� titles

The defending champions are breathing a sigh of relief as their closet rivals, Nissan are likely to miss the event, as they would be competing in another off-road event in China. Mantshwabisi, as the event is popularly called, has been Toyota’s preserve, with the manufacturer winning it a record 13 times.

  Toyota’s first win came in 1992, when the team went on to win the race seven times from 1992 to 1999. The team was defeated in 2000 when Neil Wooldridge won the event on two consecutive times with Mitsubishi Pajero and Ford.