The South African Safari Rally will return to the FIA-FIM World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC) in 2027, following the announcement of the championship’s official calendar by the FIA and FIM. The event is scheduled to take place from 14 to 19 June 2027, once again forming Round 3 of the five-round championship.
The inclusion of the South African Safari Rally on the newly announced calendar confirms the championship’s commitment to establishing the event as a long-term fixture on the W2RC schedule, following the success of its landmark debut in 2025.
More than simply introducing a new rally to the championship, the inaugural South African Safari Rally brought the FIA-FIM World Rally-Raid Championship to one of the sport’s historic heartlands, showcasing South Africa’s rich rally raid heritage, world-class organisational capability and uniquely African terrain to a global audience.
South Africa’s contribution to international rally raid extends far beyond the achievements of its drivers and riders. For decades, the country has been recognised as one of the sport’s foremost engineering and development centres, producing not only Dakar winners and world championship contenders, but also many of the vehicles competing at the highest level of international rally raid.
The TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Hilux programme, one of the most successful projects in modern rally raid, continues to be designed, developed and built in South Africa. Century Racing has established itself among the world’s leading manufacturers of rally raid prototypes, while Red-Lined Motorsport has become an increasingly prominent force on the international stage. The local Ford-backed rally raid programme also builds competition vehicles in South Africa for export to championships around the world, further underlining the country’s engineering capability and international influence.
Against that backdrop, the inaugural South African Safari Rally represented far more than another championship round. It brought the world’s premier rally raid series to a country that has helped shape the sport for decades, providing competitors, manufacturers and fans alike with the opportunity to experience first-hand the depth of South Africa’s rally raid expertise.
The event quickly established itself as one of the highlights of the 2025 championship season. Based at Sun City, the rally attracted one of the strongest and most diverse fields of the year, bringing together competitors across every major FIA and FIM category. Ultimate, Challenger and SSV crews contested world championship honours on four wheels, while RallyGP, Rally2 and Quad competitors delivered equally spectacular racing on two and four wheels, highlighting the unique format that distinguishes the FIA-FIM World Rally-Raid Championship.
The Ultimate category featured an exceptional line-up of talent, with Nasser Al-Attiyah, Sébastien Loeb, Carlos Sainz, Nani Roma and Giniel de Villiers joined by a new generation of title contenders including Henk Lategan, Lucas Moraes, Seth Quintero and Saood Variawa. The motorcycle field was equally impressive, with factory teams representing KTM, Honda, Hero and Sherco fielding riders such as Daniel Sanders, Ross Branch, Ricky Brabec, Skyler Howes, José Ignacio Cornejo and South Africa’s Bradley Cox.
The competition itself more than lived up to expectations. South Africans Henk Lategan and Brett Cummings thrilled home fans by securing victory in the FIA Ultimate category after an enthralling battle that remained undecided until the final stage, while Daniel Sanders claimed overall honours in RallyGP. Fierce competition unfolded throughout the week across the Challenger, SSV, Rally2 and Quad categories, completing a memorable first visit to Southern Africa for the World Rally-Raid Championship.
Competitors were equally complimentary about the character of the event itself. The route combined flowing bushveld tracks, open savannah, technical mountain sections, demanding navigation and a marathon stage that tested endurance, strategy and self-reliance, while the centralised Sun City bivouac proved both popular and highly effective from a logistical perspective.
Together with the warmth of the South African welcome and the professionalism of the event organisation, the inaugural rally quickly earned a reputation as one of the championship’s standout rounds.
Archie Rutherford, CEO of the South African Safari Rally, welcomed the announcement.
“The announcement of the 2027 FIA-FIM World Rally-Raid Championship calendar marks another significant milestone in the journey of the South African Safari Rally,” said Rutherford.
“Our inaugural edition demonstrated that South Africa has everything required to host a world-class round of the championship. We welcomed the world’s best competitors to our country, showcased the diversity of our terrain and the quality of our organisation, and received an overwhelmingly positive response from teams, manufacturers and the championship itself.
“South Africa has always played an important role in international rally raid, not only through the achievements of our competitors, but also through the engineering expertise and competition vehicles that are developed and exported from this country. Hosting the World Rally-Raid Championship allows us to celebrate that legacy on home soil, and we are incredibly proud that the championship will return in 2027.
“While there is still much work ahead before June 2027, our team has already begun planning for the next edition, and we look forward to building on the strong foundations established in 2025 to deliver an even bigger and better South African Safari Rally.”
While the sporting route and event details for the 2027 edition will be announced in due course, preparations are already under way to build on the success of the inaugural event and further establish the South African Safari Rally as one of the premier fixtures on the international rally raid calendar.
The 2027 FIA-FIM World Rally-Raid Championship calendar comprises:
- Dakar Rally (Saudi Arabia): 1 to 15 January
- Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge (United Arab Emirates): 21 to 26 March
- South African Safari Rally (South Africa): 14 to 19 June
- bp Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal (Portugal): 21 to 26 September
- Rallye OLA Energy du Maroc (Morocco): 24 to 29 October
The countdown to the next chapter of the South African Safari Rally has officially begun.
Issued by SA Rally Raid.
Information: Charmaine Fortune 082 991 0011 charmaine@sarallyraid.co.za
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