During the 2027 <a href="https://absafricatv.com/south-africa-name-preliminary-squad-for-first-australia-test-icc-world-test-championship/" title="<a href="https://absafricatv.com/india-brazil-south-africa-oppose-attacks-on-multilateralism-back-west-asia-dialogue/" title="India, Brazil, South Africa oppose attacks on multilateralism, back West Asia dialogue”>South Africa name preliminary squad for first Australia Test | ICC World Test Championship”>South Africa Safari Rally, the second edition of this rally will cross Botswana.
This is the ninth country the World Rally -Raid Championship will traverse. Officially announced this Monday by the W2RC organization, the Botswana leg will serve as a feeder event for the 2027 South African Safari Rally. Scheduled for June 14-19, this event will be unprecedented in more ways than one. It is, in fact, the first time a championship of this magnitude has decided to set up shop in this country, located in the south of the African continent.
In this instance, stages 2 and 3 of the South African Safari Rally will cross Botswana from June 16th, first in the Kgatleng and then in the Kweneng districts, before spending the night in the bush at a marathon-style camp. South Africa will be reached again the following day, at the end of the third stage. Two long stages totaling 790 kilometers (430 km for stage 2, 360 km for stage 3, provisional figures) will traverse what will become the 9th country visited by the W2RC.
“We have a long history with motor racing in Botswana. We have been involved for 30 years as part of our South African national championship. Botswanans are true motorsport enthusiasts; they love rally-raid and travel by the thousands every year to support us. So it is a great pleasure and a privilege to be in Botswana for the 2027 South African Safari Rally ,” explains Archie Rutherford, director of the event created specifically to join the W2RC in 2025.
Ross Branch, the 2024 World RallyGP champion and the first Botswanan to win an FIM title, didn’t hide his emotion at the announcement. “This is fantastic news! I’ve always dreamed of competing in a World Championship round in Botswana, so having two stages is a dream come true. I’m so happy that my W2RC family will be able to meet my country, my Botswanan family, and everyone who makes motorsport such a special passion. We undoubtedly have some of the best spectators in the world, and they will come in droves to watch the W2RC.”
The South African Safari Rally will be the second event of the W2RC season.
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- 22/08/2026
- 14:05
