Dakar Rally W2RC Series Coming to South Africa in May

The Dakar is achingly close to kicking off, but while it may be thousands of kilometres away and unattainable for most South Africans, the W2RC series should scratch that itch when it arrives locally in May…

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The Dakar is the opening round of the 2025 World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC), but TGRSA is also eagerly anticipating Round 3, the South African Safari Rally, set for May 2025. Held on home soil, the event will be sponsored by Gazoo Racing and hopes to engage local motorsport fans in this international event. After all, South Africa and the SARRC has a proud reputation in the international world rally raid arena with no less than 50% of vehicles competing in the iconic Dakar Rally and the esteemed W2RC events designed, developed and built in South Africa.

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Toyota Gazoo Racing’s drivers and technical crews recently hosted media for a press conference ahead of their departure for the dunes of Dakar in January. The sentiment seemed extremely positive that the W2RC series that includes events like the Dakar was coming to local shores and would serve as an opportunity for international teams to experience terrain used in the local rally raid series. Moreover, the competitive Hilux should be a formidable foe on home soil.

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The announcement made on the eve of Rallye du Maroc, the final round of the 2024 W2RC season from 5 to 11 October 2024 in the Kingdom of Morocco, heralds a new era for South African Motorsport and the South African Rally-Raid championship.

“This is an extremely exciting and very proud moment for us as organisers of the SA Rally-Raid Championship (SARRC), the numerous South Africans competing in the Dakar Rally and other international events,” said an elated Archie Rutherford, SARRC CEO.  “My team put a lot of hard work, long hours and dedicated planning into Event Zero, the TGRSA Safari 1000 in June, and the outcome could not be more rewarding,” he said.

The event, in collaboration with Motorsport SA (MSA) and endorsed by the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) – the governing bodies of all global motorsport, and Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO), the promoter of the W2RC and the organiser of the Dakar Rally, will be hosted in the North West and Limpopo provinces of South Africa.

Race headquarters and associated event facilities will be based at the world-renowned Sun City complex adjacent to the Pilanesberg National Park. This unique event will feature diverse terrain, with the race route traversing some of the most stunning bushveld plateaus, river crossings, and savannah plains, encompassing an exceptional experience for all in the areas of Sun City, Thabazimbi and the agricultural heart of North West.

“The SARRC field is arguably the strongest of all the national rally-raid championships globally, with the growth of  the championship at a sporting and economic level very positive and encouraging. We look forward to a hugely successful inaugural W2RC event in our beautiful country in May 2025 and to welcoming the visiting teams and their supporters to our magnificent haven – South Africa,” concluded Rutherford.

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