At the core of any rally-raid event is the race route, and the World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC) tests crews and vehicles on some of the toughest terrain around the globe. For the inaugural South African Safari Rally (SASR), brought to you by Toyota Gazoo Racing, the international and local 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 18-24 May 2025.
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.
The organising team has been planning, scouting and refining the South African Safari Rally (SASR) race route for almost a year. This culminated in the full event reconnaissance, finalisation and mapping of the route taking place in March and April this year with SASR route director Evan Hutchison, along with the team from Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO) – the promoter of the FIA (Fédération Internationale Automobile) and FIM (Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme) World Rally Raid Championship.
“We left Johannesburg on 17 March and returned on 1 April after covering 4,270 km 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 said. “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.” Falken Tyres is the sponsor of the Prologue for all of the races in the 2025 South African Rally-Raid Championship (SARRC), so it was a natural fit for the company to provide the tyres for this crucial route reconnaissance.
“First of all, the vehicles were faultless, which is not surprising as Toyota has a well-proven reputation for conquering Africa’s toughest terrain,” Hutchison said. “However, the most incredible fact from the trip is that we never had any tyre issues, completing a combined 8,540 km 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 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.
Although the crews can expect drier weather when the South African Safari Rally kicks off with the Prologue on Monday 19 May, followed by five tough stages set across the North West Province over the ensuing days, there’s no doubt it will be a demanding test for competitors and vehicles every step of the way.
The closing date for South African Safari Rally entries is 30 April 2025.
