Sports
Excitement Builds for South Africa’s First Ever Safari Rally in the FIA World Rally-Raid Championship
In just three months, South Africa will host the much-anticipated FIA World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC) Safari Rally, and local motorsport fans are eagerly awaiting the high-caliber entries.
Taking place from May 18 to 24, the South African Safari Rally will be the first W2RC event on local soil and will be sponsored by Toyota Gazoo Racing. This event will serve as the third round of this year’s W2RC season.
Archie Rutherford, CEO of the South African Safari Rally, expressed his excitement over the event: “We’ve had a fantastic response and great interest from around the world for this new addition to the World Rally-Raid Championship calendar. Our team is hard at work ensuring we deliver a truly world-class event for competitors, media, and spectators.”
Among the impressive entrants in the Ultimate (T1+) category, rally enthusiasts can expect to see multiple Dakar Rally champion Nasser Al-Attiyah from Qatar and nine-time World Rally Champion Sébastien Loeb of France, both competing for the Dacia Sandriders team. Al-Attiyah has claimed all three rally-raid titles since the series began in 2022.
While Toyota Gazoo Racing has yet to confirm its entries, their track record from Dakar gives reason to expect strong participation. The Ford M-Sport team has also submitted two entries, following their successful debut of the new Ford Raptor at Dakar this year.
Other notable entrants include the X-Raid Mini JCW crews of Joao Ferreira (Portugal) and Denos Krotov (Kyrgyzstan), as well as three South African-built Century Racing cars. These will be driven by Dakar stage winner Mathieu Serradori (France), Benoit Frentin (France), and Rik van den Brink (Netherlands). Additionally, the locally-built Neil Woolridge Ford Ranger Evo Plus will feature Brazilian Cross Country champion Marcos Baumgart behind the wheel.
Red-Lined Motorsport will have a full lineup of six vehicles in both Revo and VK56 models, driven by a mix of local and international drivers, including Philip Botha, Danie Ludick, Jayden Els, and Gerhardt and Nickus Heinlein.
The entry list also includes two South African-built WCT Volkswagen Amaroks, with German Daniel Schröder and South African Henri Köhne at the helm.
The event will feature numerous exciting entries in the Challenger Class and the SSV (Side-by-Side) vehicle categories, with more top-ranking teams expected to submit their entries following the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge. Rally-raid enthusiasts are in for plenty of action and excitement when the W2RC heads to South Africa this May.
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Sourced:IOL
