Al-Qalam 
Saood comes from three generations of off-road racers – his father and grandfather were avid drivers in their times, writes Nabeelah Shaikh.
He may be only 18 years old, but Saood Variawa of Johannesburg has just become the youngest Dakar Rally racer.
Variawa made history when he became the youngest person to participate in the 46th edition of the Dakar Rally held in Saudi Arabia recently. He participated as a member of the official Toyota Gazoo Racing team.
His journey with racing began when he was a little boy at the tender age of just five, and through the years, his passion for racing led to many achievements.
Variawa had developed a passion for racing, thanks to his father Shameer who had raced in big Peruvian rallies in 2019. But during the 90’s his grandfather, Abdul, was also an off-road racer.
At the time, Saood had merely gone to rallies purely for entertainment, but then the racing bug got him which eventually led him to make his debut in the Dakar Rally.
“The influence came from my dad and my grandfather Abdul. Both of them were racing drivers and I started at the age of five doing go-karting. And I raced until the age of 14 in go-karting, but from the age of 10 we started participating internationally, just doing world championships and stuff like that in the karting world,” said Variawa.
He got his South African colours in 2015.
“I won the Bridgestone Super Cup and finished second in that championship. We then started racing full-time in Europe. We did the WSK Championship and in 2018, we did the FIA Championship as well. In 2021, we did the main circuit racing. I was the best rookie of the year,” said Variawa.
In 2021, Toyota called him to drive their main car in the Global Touring Car category.
“And as soon as I drove that car, I was on par with the other guys on the team. I was the Rookie of the Year. Toyota kept me on and we were still fighting for the championship. Last year, I started racing the Dakar Hiluxes,” said Variawa.
He said his recent participation in the Dakar Rally was an amazing experience because he was up there with the best of the best.
“At first, it was a bit challenging learning the event and how things went, but I was also sick when I first got to the rally. That wasn’t ideal for the toughest race in the world,” said Variawa.
He said after the first week at the rally, things got much better for him.
“We found our feet and found our pace for the race. It was stage eight and we started performing well. It was amazing seeing my name up there with the legends of the sport and it’s like a dream come true. It’s like racing Formula One but racing the off-road version of it,” said Variawa.
He said he was “super thankful” to Toyota for allowing him to participate in the Dakar Rally.
“For me, it was honestly a dream come true and there is no other way to describe it. I was the youngest participant at the Dakar Rally and the youngest to race in the Factory Team, which is a manufacturer,” said Variawa.
Racing gets his adrenaline pumping, and with many years ahead of him in the industry, he’s looking forward to what the future will bring.
“I love everything about racing. The speed, the adrenaline, racing door to door with people, having the focus of 110 percent at all times, and making zero mistakes. I love the challenge that comes with it and the competition that comes with it, but it’s mainly the adrenaline of it for me,” said Variawa.
He would like to see himself doing a few more Dakars.
“I want to conquer it and be in the top five or at least on the podium. The plan next year is to get into the top 10 and then the following year, in the top 5. I’d also like to do a lot more of the world championship rounds. The plan would be to win the world championship long term. I also have my track racing career so I try to pursue that as well,” said Variawa.
He told Al-Qalam that his father was his role model in the racing world.
“He’s my mentor and one of the people I admire most,” said Variawa.
