MOTORSPORT
With its astounding diversity of terrain, from deep sand to technical bushveld tracks, and challenging rocky koppies, South Africa has some of the best rally-raiding terrain anywhere. And with the hugely successful W2RC Safari rally event last year, the best global Rally-Raid drivers, including current Dakar champion, Nasser al-Attiyah, were amazed by the technical challenge and sheer bushveld beauty of the Safari event’ s North West route.
For the 2026 SA Rally-Raid Championship, there won’ t be another W2RC event( it works on a rotational schedule), but the six local events are going to be epic.
The North West is rally-raiding’ s legacy home in South Africa. But with the widespread and severe outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease across the country and the stringent controls introduced by the authorities, Round One of the SA Rally-Raid Championship, scheduled for Stella at the beginning of March, has been postponed.
The only marathon event of the 2026 season happens in the Western Cape. Competitors will negotiate the challenging Karoo landscape that traverses the Langkloof Valley and Kammanassie Mountains, using Louvain Guest Farm as the race headquarters, on 8, 9, and 10 May.
SA Rally-Raid competitors will then move to the Free State / North West border area on 19 and 20 June for round 3 in Parys. Where cold mornings and frost are sure to add to the challenge, with Stonehenge River Lodge serving as the service park.
Legends Adventure Farm, conveniently located between Bronkhorstspruit and Pretoria, will be the venue for round 4 of the championship on 24 and 25 July. Mid-winter temperatures will test crews, but keep all those engines happy.
The SA Rally Raid championship then moves to Vryheid, in Northern KwaZulu-Natal, for the weekend of 9-10 October. The final round of the 2023 SA Rally-Raid season will be deep in the iconic red sand of the Limpopo bushveld, on 13-14 November, on a fast, technical bushveld route through Northa and Thabazimbi.
With Dakar superstars competing, relatable race vehicles( especially the T1-spec bakkies), and spectacular routes, the SA Rally-Raid championship is an incredible live spectator experience, not to missed.
JANUARY | FEBRUARY 2026 17 WORDS IN ACTION