South Africa is often raised as a potential host country whenever Formula One is looking to add new races to the calendar. While a return to Kyalami remains uncertain for now, Archie Rutherford hopes the World Rally-Raid Championship can lead to a step in the right direction.

The inaugural South African Safari Rally is set to take place on May 18–24 as the third round of the W2RC. Rutherford, the CEO of the South African Rally-Raid Championship, considers the series’ arrival a chance for South Africa to showcase itself on a global stage.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our local drivers to go wheel-to-wheel with the world’s best, sharing the same bivouac and competing on home turf,” Rutherford said.

“This is the biggest FIA-sanctioned motorsport event since the last F1 at Kyalami in 1993. Top FIA and FIM officials will be here, including the FIM President. If we put on a great show, which I know we will, there’s no reason why South Africa can’t attract even bigger events down the line.”

Held in Limpopo and North West provinces, the Safari Rally will stretch 2,645 kilometers with 1,218 in timed sections. Sun City Resort will serve as the main hub, and will begin receiving vehicles from the Port of Durban on Friday.

Rutherford noted it took “close on 100 people” to clear the route for the course, which was far from easy due to muddy weather. Some trucks used for track reconnnaissance ended up getting stuck in the mud as a result.

With both FIA and FIM officials in attendance, Rutherford stressed it was important for organizers to be on their A-game, especially on the medical side.

“We’ll have two air ambulances on standby at the start of every stage, plus around eight 4×4 ambulances and a fully-equipped medical centre in the bivouac, staffed with seven doctors and 16 paramedics,” he added. “Safety is everything in a sport like this.”

The W2RC will be the second international racing championship to race in South Africa in the 2020s after Formula E’s Cape Town ePrix in 2023. Otherwise, F1 last appeared in the country in 1993 while MotoGP raced there until 2004.

Unlike other disciplines, South Africa is well represented in rally raid. Many of the top cars were built in the nation like the Toyota Hilux, while the SARRC is considered one of the most challenging national championships.

“This is no ordinary race,” Rutherford commented. “To be included in the same championship series as Dakar is an achievement in itself, and something South Africans can be incredibly proud of.”