Giniel de Villiers
Driver of Nissan Pickup No. 208

For this final team interview we chat with Giniel de Villiers. His name sounds French and the French pronounce it in the French way, but Giniel is actually a South African so his name is pronounced in the English way. However, Giniel's native tongue is Afrikaans and he speaks English with an Afrikaans accent (at least I think he does). On the rest day, I spoke at leisure with Giniel and recorded a long interview with him. Reading this will give you a good insight into the man.
JM: "First, I want to ask you about the basics. How old are you? Are you married? Do you have any children?"
Giniel de Villiers (GD): I am 31 years and nine months old. I am single and have no children. At the moment there are no particular problems."

JM: "You are South African, aren't you? Where is your home?"
GD: "I was born and bred in South Africa and live in Stellenbosch, a small town near Cape Town that is famous for its wine."
JM: "Please tell us about your racing career."
GD: "About 14 years ago, in 1990, I began circuit racing in South Africa. In 1994, I began driving Nissan Group N cars and was champion that year. In 1995 and 1996, I drove super touring cars, and in 1997 and 2000 I entered touring car races, becoming champion in a Nissan Primera. When Nissan South Africa withdrew from circuit racing in 2001, I turned to offroad racing. And in that year, I teamed with Francois Jordaan for the first time and won the offroad championship. I still enter those offroad championships, but last year was my first attempt at the Dakar. This year is my second."

JM: "What first got you into racing?"
GD: "I drove my first race car when I was 17. I have liked cars since I was small. When I was four, my father made me a go-kart so I could drive around the farm. Any young boy would love to have his own car, so my father granted me a special privilege with that go-kart. That was the start and I have driven ever since. My father was a big motorsports fan who sometimes drove in rallies, and without making a big thing of it, always took me with him to races and rallies. I guess that's how I was bitten by the bug. When you see other people racing, you want to try it yourself. That was how I got into motor racing."

JM: "Did you race in the go-kart your father made for you?"
GD: "No, no. That was just a small kart for driving around the farm. I have no racing experience with go-karts. The start of my racing was the Group N car I drove at 17."

JM: "In South Africa, what is the age for getting a driver's license?"
GD: "Eighteen. But you can get a beginner's license at 17, so I used that for racing. I was determined to learn to race."

JM: "All right, let's return to your more recent races. Could you tell us more about your offroad racing?"
GD: "In 2001 I teamed up with Francois and started offroad racing, but that year the race was extremely tight and we won with a margin of only three points. But it was really good to be champion."
JM: "How did you come to enter the 2003 Dakar Rally?"
GD: "At Nissan South Africa, we sent two pickups to Team Dessoude for the 2002 Dakar, and at that time some of us went up to Atar, which is on the Rally course, to see what it was like. At that time, the Nissan Rally Raid Team manager asked me if I wanted to take part. I replied that of course I did! That was how I came to be in the 2003 Rally."

JM: "How was your maiden rally last year?"
GD: "It was one long series of first-time experiences. It was the first time I had been in such long race. The South African Championships are one or two days at the most. But suddenly, here I was, driving in an 18-day event. The mental preparation you need is completely different, but I really enjoyed it. Coming 5th overall on my first attempt was a little too good for me, though. I accumulated much valuable experience, and all this can be put to good use in the future. Dakar was always a major goal for me. From when I was a small child, whenever I watched it on TV I thought that one day I would surely somehow be in it. Then finally I got my chance. I'm enjoying it, and I will be truly happy and fulfilled if we can make it to the finish. But to do that will take a big effort by the team, and I feel proud to be a member of that team."

JM: "Did you enjoy your first Dakar?"
GD: "Yes, I did. It was tough sometimes, and we had problems some days. But everyone does. Getting through those hard days and reaching the goal is what gives you the feeling of fulfillment. When I think of the hard times we faced, I always get that feeling of satisfaction."
JM: "Was it because of your good results in last year's Dakar that you came back this year?"
GD: "It's normal to want to do better than your previous results. I was in last year's Rally, but last year's event was not a so-called standard west coast Dakar, as the goal was in Egypt. This year, I really want to get to the goal in Dakar. This year is a real Dakar challenge. The Dakar Rally is a really tough competition but everyone wants to compete in it. We are enjoying it again this year."

JM: "You have participated in other World Cup rally raids. How are those different from the Dakar?"
GD: "I have been in rally raids in Tunisia, Morocco, and the UAE. Some of their stages were as tough as the Dakar, but the distances were short. The Tunisian rally was seven days and the Moroccan five, but the Dakar Rally is 17 or 18 days in length. As well as lasting for a long time, the distances covered are long, too."

JM: "What do you do when not racing?"
GD: "The last two years I have been busy with racing. With preparing for the Dakar and developing vehicles. I don't have time for anything else. But when I return to South Africa, I operate a real estate development company with two friends. I also have a bar in Stellenbosch."

JM: "What's the name of your bar?"
GD: "Nubar. Stellenbosch has a university with 20,000 students, and the bar is aimed at them. I was invited by those two friends I mentioned to buy into it, but they do all the work. I just go along to drink the cold, great-tasting beer they have there… What's the meaning of 'Nubar'? I don't know. We just thought it up."

JM: "What are your hobbies?"
GD: "I like the outdoors. I sometimes ride a mountain bike, and I go in mountain bike races too. That is also good training for offroad driving. Kite surfing where you put a sail on a wake board is also interesting. Where I live in South Africa there are good winds so I often go out on hot summer days. The beach is about ten minutes from my house, and two to three hours of kite surfing is just right to refresh you. Other than that, there's golf. When I get the time, I go out golfing with a friend on Saturday or Sunday. I like to be physically active."
JM: "Let's get back to the Dakar. When did you start preparing for this year's Dakar?"
GD: "It would have been immediately after last year's. Speaking of my own personal preparations, I train to get my fitness to Dakar race level. Because there is not much time for proper sleep in the Dakar, you have build up your fitness to cope. Development testing and participating in other World Cup events would also be part of the training for the Dakar. I like to spend as much time as I can in the sand dunes. In South Africa there is sand but not the terrain you see in the Dakar."

JM: "Did you have enough training for this year's Dakar?"
GD: "I personally think I did the same amount of training as last year. But I wanted to do more vehicle development testing. The thing is that this is just our second year in the Dakar, and various small problems are occurring. You can't win the Rally unless you keep going, so even though the problem might be small, if it stops you during a stage, it can make things very difficult. We have to improve the vehicles' basic reliability and ensure that we can keep going without any stops."
JM: "Has anything noteworthy happened in this year's Dakar so far?"
GD: "It's been tough but good. On the second day, I unfortunately overturned, but it was lucky that I was in first gear and going slowly. After that, things went quite smoothly and I achieved 2nd and 3rd places in a number of stages. But then there were several severe problems and for some hours I came to a standstill. As a result, I have dropped back a little from the top group. But we are still going so that's good. Currently, I am in 11th place, but there are five more days to go so I want to improve my position. But the main aim is to make it to Dakar. Realistically, this year I am aiming at finishing in the top ten. I will be back next year, so watch this space."

JM: "So you will be back for the 2005 Dakar?"
GD: "Yes, that is my wish. I absolutely want to mount another challenge. It's amazing to be able to race in such a huge event as this. We've still got a lot more to do. We can't afford to stop improving.".
JM: "How much longer will you continue competing in the Dakar?"
GD: "That's a hard question. You can make the decision to carry on only if you get good results. You can only decide when certain things changes."

JM: "How do you see your future?"
GD: "I am still absorbed in motor racing and want to carry on with it for several more years. I would like to continue with it while I'm enjoying it. People with fuel in their veins instead of blood cannot easily get out of motorsport."

JM: "Do you have something you want to say to the readers?"
GD: "I feel honored to have had the support of people all over the world and to have received so many messages. I'm sure everyone will continue to support us even if we face difficulties in this Rally. In the near future, I am sure we will have good results. To achieve this, we will give it everything we've got. We are also receiving a lot of support from many people in South Africa. I would like to take this opportunity to express my thanks to them. We have been hugely encouraged by all your support. Thank you very much."

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