With the planned season opener in March postponed due to flooding, it is now time for the 2025 SA Rally-Raid Championship to kick off in all earnest with the Renault KEC 400 scheduled to take place on 27 and 28 June from Legends Adventure Farm Rhino Park, 60 kilometres from Pretoria. This event promises to not only provide the first national racing action of the season to competitors, but also to spectators and enthusiasts who have been waiting in anticipation for six months for the season to gather momentum.
Various teams participated in the recent SA Safari Rally, the third round of the World Rally-Raid Championship that took place during May from Sun City in the North-West Province, but it will be a first outing this year for the bulk of the local Rally-Raid Championship competitors who have no doubt been anxiously waiting to get behind the wheel of their race vehicles.
The venue for the opening round, Legends Adventure Farm, is situated on the R515 Rhino Park, less than 100 kilometres from central Gauteng as well as the East and West Rand. The venue played host to the final round of the 2024 season and will welcome competitors back at the beginning of the new season. Lots of memories of top-level high-speed racing action will still be top of mind and the venue and area will provide more of the same on Friday and Saturday, albeit this time in winter.
The Renault KEC 400 will be structured as a Super Event and will start at 10:15 on Friday morning with the Falken Wild Peak Prologue, when teams will take on a 20-kilometre racing section based at Legends Adventure Farm. This racing section will determine the starting positions for Stage One scheduled to start at 13:15 on Friday, 27 June.
Teams will have to put their race vehicles in the Ultimate, Adventurer, Challenger and SSV Classes through the paces to post the best possible time in the Prologue as there is limited time for repairs before taking on the 85 kilometres of Stage One.
After completing just over 100 kilometres of the route on the first day, the teams will be ready and prepared for Stage Two, which starts at 8:30 on Saturday morning with the line-up according to the first day’s results. Stages Two and Three await and each will consist of 170 kilometres with the challenging route starting with fast, open and flowing tracks before entering the more technical mountainous section. The route might be familiar to competitors, but they should not be too complacent as some small changes as well as changes to the surface after recent rains, can potentially catch them out and result in possible heartbreak.
With more fast and flowing kilometres behind them, teams will enter another rocky and technical area after crossing the first gravel road that will be followed by more fast tracks around cultivated fields. After a short decontrol, teams will cross a river before taking on yet another fast section in a valley. The route will then cross the R25 and more fast sections around cultivated fields will demand precision before they enter a game farm where open and flowing tracks will be on the menu.
More racing around cultivated fields as well as some rugged sections with technical tracks and rocky routes are also on the menu, alternated by fast flowing tracks.
The leading team is expected back at 11:00 at the Legends Adventure Farm Designated Service Park (DSP) after completing Stage Two and will leave for Stage Three after the compulsory 30-minute service break. The Renault KEC 400 will finish at the same venue where the podium ceremonies will be held.
Like last year, race enthusiasts will again be spoilt for choice with various excellent vantage points along the route while they will also be welcome at the DSP at Legends Adventure Farm where the Race Headquarters will be situated. Food and refreshments will be on sale at the venue. Amidst with the mild winter days, the hot racing action will add to a perfect weekend out.
The first points towards the 2025 SA Rally-Raid Championship await and with new race vehicles and their teams ready to tackle the race kilometres at last, the Renault KEC 400 at Legends Adventure Farm will be the place to be. And with the event in close proximity of the greater Gauteng, it is the perfect opportunity to experience the action first hand.
Issued on behalf of the SA RALLY-RAD CHAMPIONSHIP
Photography by: Dave Ledbitter
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