The organising team has spent nearly a year planning, scouting, and refining the route, with the final reconnaissance and mapping taking place in March and April, led by South Africa Safari Rally route director Evan Hutchison, alongside the Amaury Sport Organisation – promoters of the FIA and FIM World Rally-Raid Championship.
Image: Supplied, Motorsport TGR
WITH the recent heavy, abundant and soaking rains that have been falling in Kimberley, driving has become more challenging.
These days drivers here are being tested to see whether they have memorised the locations of the city’s potholes; after all, when the roads are flooded you cannot see the gaping chasms that lurk beneath the surface.
In addition to this, certain dirt roads have become rather ‘soapy’, and by this I don’t mean clean foam, I mean slippery mud. Yep, with all this rain, increasingly there’s the risk of being bogged down if you unsuspectingly take a detour onto one of the city’s dirt roads.
Now with that little bit of background, imagine those problems multiplied by a LOT, and you will come close to understanding the rigours of what the World Rally-Raid Championship endured recently.
After all, at the core of any rally-raid event is the race route, and the World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC) tests crews and vehicles have to contend with some of the toughest terrain around the globe.
This means that for the inaugural South African Safari Rally (SASR), that will be brought to us by Toyota Gazoo Racing, competitors can look forward to a challenging and exciting route that will showcase some of the country’s spectacular landscapes, while demanding strength, endurance, speed and agility from the drivers, navigators and cars, as well as the riders and motorcycles that will take on the challenge from May 18-24.
The event will be based at the Sun City resort in the North West Province of South Africa, and is set to deliver an enthralling spectacle for motorsport enthusiasts while pushing teams to the limit in the search for glory.
Although crews can expect drier weather when the SASR kicks off with five gruelling stages across the North West Province, there’s no doubt the event will push competitors and their machines to the limit.
Why are we so sure?
Because the organising team has spent nearly a year planning, scouting, and refining the route. The final reconnaissance and mapping took place in March and April, led by SASR route director Evan Hutchison, alongside the Amaury Sport Organisation – promoters of the FIA and FIM World Rally-Raid Championship.
“We left Johannesburg on 17 March and returned on 1 April after covering 4,270km through some of the most challenging terrain I have ever encountered,” said Hutchison, a multiple South African rally-raid champion with decades of experience in the sport, and several years as route director for the local championship.
“We didn’t traverse well-travelled sand roads and routes. We opted for rough, uncharted terrain chosen to challenge the most capable off-road cars and motorcycles in the world. Thick bush, rocky sections and river beds were the norm, and this is what competitors can look forward to for the South African Safari Rally.”
The route reconnaissance team relied on a pair of Toyota Hilux 4x4s equipped with all the gear and accessories required to complete this arduous job.
“Most importantly, we fitted Falken WildPeak M/T 265/70 R17 mud-terrain tyres on both Hiluxes,” Hutchison added.
“Rugged and durable tyres are the most important feature when driving off-road, as punctures and sidewall damage are the norm on a trip like this.”
Hutchison says he was impressed on multiple fronts.
“First of all, the vehicles were faultless, which is not surprising as Toyota has a well-proven reputation for conquering Africa’s toughest terrain,” he said. “However, the most incredible fact from the trip is that we never had any tyre issues, completing a combined 8,540km on the two vehicles without a single puncture. If you have ever done off-road driving in this kind of terrain, you will understand how impressive this is.
With all of the rain that has been falling in South Africa, the test crew encountered a lot of mud and got stuck numerous times during the recce.
Image: Supplied, Motorsport TGR
“With all of the rain we’ve had recently in this part of South Africa, we encountered a lot of mud and got stuck numerous times during the recce. Without a capable mud-terrain tyre like the Falken WildPeak M/T I have no doubt that we would have been stuck a lot more, and wasted a significant amount of time and energy extricating ourselves from these difficult conditions,” Hutchison said.
So with the route mapped out, and reliable data available thanks to the dedicated efforts of the tests crews and vehicles, those who still have not decided should note that the closing date for South African Safari Rally entries is 30 April 2025.
The stage is set for those who have the steel to put rubber to the rugged rocks and take on what promises to be a most rewarding challenge.
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