The South African Safari Rally is set to return to the FIA-FIM World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC) as round 3 of five on the 2027 calendar.The event takes place in Sun City from June 14 to 19 2027, and brings the world’s top rally raid drivers to the country in various major categories, including the Ultimate, Challenger and SSV classes. The inaugural Safari Rally was held in 2025 and attracted rally-raid royalty including multiple Dakar champions Nasser Al-Attiyah, Sébastien Loeb, Carlos Sainz and Nani Roma. Local stars who competed included Giniel de Villiers, Henk Lategan and Saood Variawa. The Safari Rally brings global racing icons to compete on these shores. Picture: (REUTERS) South Africa makes an important contribution to the world rally raid community. The Toyota Gazoo Racing Hilux programme, Century Racing, and Red-Lined Motorsport are the local and leading manufacturers of rally-raid prototypes and supply the world over. The local Ford-backed Rally Raid programme will also compete. The motorcycle field also draws factory teams representing KTM, Honda, Hero and Sherco and fielding riders such as Daniel Sanders, Ross Branch, Ricky Brabec, Skyler Howes, José Ignacio Cornejo and South Africa’s Bradley Cox. The 2025 rally earned a reputation as one of the championship’s standout rounds. Competitors were complimentary about the character of the event itself, from the route that combined flowing bushveld tracks, open savannah, technical mountain sections, demanding navigation and a marathon stage that tested endurance, strategy and self-reliance, to the centralised Sun City bivouac. “The announcement of the 2027 FIA-FIM World Rally-Raid Championship calendar marks another significant milestone in the journey of the South African Safari Rally,” said Archie Rutherford, CEO of the South African Safari Rally. The world's top Rally-Raid racers also praised Sun City as the main bivouac. Picture: (Sun City) “Our inaugural edition demonstrated that South Africa has everything required to host a world-class round of the championship. We welcomed the world’s best competitors to our country, showcased the diversity of our terrain and the quality of our organisation.”The sporting route and event details for the 2027 edition will be announced in due course, and preparations are already under way. “We look forward to building on the strong foundations established in 2025 to deliver an even bigger and better South African Safari Rally,” added Rutherford.The 2027 FIA-FIM World Rally-Raid Championship calendar comprises:Dakar Rally (Saudi Arabia): January 1 to 15; Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge (United Arab Emirates): March 21 to 26; South African Safari Rally (South Africa): June 14 to 19;BP Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal (Portugal): September 21 to 26;Rallye OLA Energy du Maroc (Morocco): October 24 to 29.Business Day