2025 World Rally-Raid Championship calendar announced – Safari Rally in South Africa added

The FIM Rally-Raid World Championship has announced its five-round calendar for 2025 starting in January with the Dakar Rally and including the Safari Rally in South Africa.

The 2025 Rally-Raid World Championship schedule has been officially released, and it includes an exciting new event: the South Africa Safari Rally, which is set to be one of the highlights of the season.

The 2025 W2RC championship will feature six rounds, maintaining some classic stops including the Dakar while solidifying Africa as a key location for the series.

The South African Safari Rally promises to offer riders a fresh challenges and terrain in a season dominated by deserts. The series will again remain in one continent for rounds one and two, the Dakar and Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge as round two.

The new addition of the Safari Rally is round three in May followed by another change of landescape in Portugal in late summer. The final round five heads to the traditional pre-Dakar 2026 shakedown and world championship conclusion Morocco during October.

2025 Rally-Raid World Championship Calendar

1. Dakar Rally – Saudi Arabia (January 3-17)

2. Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge – United Arab Emirates (February 21-27)

3. South Africa Safari Rally – South Africa (May 18-24)

4. BP Ultimate Rally Raid Portugal – Portugal (September 22-28)

5. Rallye du Maroc – Morocco (October 10-17)

David Castera, Sporting Director of ASO, commented: “Our first priority was to consolidate a set of races that are now well differentiated. What we want is to rotate these events, and that's what we’ll start doing next season.” He also highlighted the return of events such as the Rally-Raid of Portugal, after its debut last season, and the Ruta 40 Challenge, despite Argentina’s absence in 2025.

FIA President, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, also expressed his enthusiasm: “We are delighted to see the growing success of the World Rally-Raid Championship, both in terms of competition and global presence. It's a pleasure to see the inclusion of South Africa in the calendar.”

Meanwhile, Jorge Viegas, President of the FIM, emphasized the importance of the championship's expansion, which will take place in five countries across three continents, noting that the series will visit Africa in both hemispheres.

Photo Credit: A.S.O.