• In just a month, South Africa will be rolling out the red carpet for the W2RC for the first time. Following in the tyre tracks of Portugal last season, it is the second country to launch a bespoke event for the championship.
• The inaugural edition of the South African Safari Rally, set to run from 18 to 24 May, is an initiative from the organiser of the South African Rally-Raid Championship, which has fifty years of experience.
• Sun City, an international resort, 140 km from Johannesburg and right in the heart of the wild, awaits the W2RC convoy.
• It will be uncharted territory for most of the big names in the championship, but the local rally-raid scene —the biggest in the world— will be racing on home soil in a long-awaited showdown.
• The race will stretch for a total of 2,647 km, including 1,218 km against the clock, spread across a prologue and five stages, featuring a marathon stage deep in the savannah.
Africa roars in delight
South Africa is making its debut on the W2RC calendar and reconnecting with its past. Back in 1992, the southern tip of the continent was the terminus of a colossal edition of the Dakar, the legendary Paris–Cape Town. 33 years on, the third round of the world championship marks the return of the international convoy. In the meantime, the country has produced its fair share of rally-raid legends, such as Alfie Cox in motorbikes and Giniel de Villiers in cars. More recently, Alfie's son Bradley Cox and Michael Docherty have been shaking things up in Rally 2, inspired by the example of their next-door neighbour from Botswana, Ross Branch, who claimed the 2024 world champion title in Rally GP. In the car competition, Henk Lategan was in the running for the Dakar title last January, only to fall at the last hurdle. A few days earlier, Saood Variawa had become the youngest-ever stage winner in the history of the race. Both of these talented racers can count on the support of a peerless rally-raid industry (see the statement from the organiser). South Africa is home to Toyota Gazoo Racing, Century Racing and Red-Lined, to name but a few. Dacia, Ford and Mini beware: Toyota beasts are on the prowl!
Rallying, safari-style
The international resort of Sun City, built in the late 1970s and located two and a half hours by road from Johannesburg and the capital, Pretoria, will serve as race HQ. It is a majestic setting for the service park, which will be pitched bang in the middle of surrounding game reserves, including the famous Pilanesberg National Park, home to the legendary Big Five.
1,218 km against the clock are on the cards, starting with a prologue around Sun City and followed by five stages, with the longest special coming in at more than 350 km. Stage 2 will be a marathon stage. Entrants will spend the night in the savannah without their support crews. The nocturnal calls of wild beasts will make for a truly unique lullaby! The terrain itself will be a complete unknown for the uninitiated. Recent rains have turned it into a lush, green landscape, featuring unusual surfaces such as black turf, an abrasive black clay, and off-track sections through the thorny bushveld, a dense and unforgiving scrubland where threading the needle will demand pinpoint precision. It is a mix of conditions that will test even the most seasoned champions while offering a home-ground advantage to local competitors. A big showdown is brewing out in the wild!
Quotes:
Archie Rutherford, Director of the South African Safari Rally (organiser):
"Our national rally-raid championship has been running for nearly fifty years and I have been at the helm for the past nine. We organise seven races a year, each over a two-day format. It is without a doubt one of the most consistent championships in the world, featuring some of the best car drivers out there and backed by a flagship motorsport industry. Around 60% of the T1+ Ultimate cars are either designed or built in South Africa. The South African Safari Rally is set to be the biggest motor sport event in the country since the 1993 F1 Grand Prix. It is a vast country with a wealth of possibilities for rally-raid, but for this first edition, we chose Sun City and the North West Province for its accessibility and ability to host an event on this scale. It is a region that we know well and delivers the experience of being up close with wildlife. It is a real challenge for our teams, from marshals to helicopter pilots, as we need to meet FIA-FIM standards. But we are up to the task. What matters most to us is that the competitors discover, share and come to appreciate the way that we live and breathe rally raid in South Africa."
David Castera, Motor Sports Director, ASO (W2RC championship sponsor):
"Africa is the birthplace of rally raid and, this season, two rounds will take place on the continent. The South African Safari Rally stands out as a completely new creation that will see most competitors discovering uncharted territory and a racing culture different from the usual fixtures on the calendar. Some of the biggest names in the sport will have to head back to the school of adaptation, which is one of the founding principles of rally raid and a key part of the sporting challenge that this round presents. That spirit of exploration lies at the core of the championship. We have been building on it for several seasons and it is a top priority for us."
Schedule:
• 30 April: Entry closing date
• 9 May: publication of the entry list
• 17–18 May: administrative and technical scrutineering
• 19 May: prologue — Sun City (road section: 30 km / special: 9 km / Total: 39 km)
• 20 May: stage 1 — Sun City–Sun City (road section: 296 km / special: 262 km / total: 558 km)
• 21 May: stage 2 — Sun City–Marathon Camp (road section: 266 km / special: 352 km / total: 618 km)
• 22 May: stage 3 — Marathon Camp–Sun City (road section: 270 km / special: 253 km / total: 523 km)
• 23 May: stage 4 — Sun City–Sun City (road section: 469 km / special: 224 km / total: 693 km)
• 24 May: stage 5 — Sun City–Sun City (road section: 98 km / special: 118 km / total: 216 km)
