The inaugural edition of the South African Safari Rally reached a thrilling climax on Saturday. The short but decisive fifth stage, 222 kilometers in total, including 111 against the clock, became the setting for a South African triumph and an Australian milestone. Henk Lategan (Toyota Gazoo Racing) lived up to his status as home favorite and clinched overall victory in the car category with his Hilux. On two wheels, Daniel “Chucky” Sanders (Red Bull KTM) finished second in the stage but comfortably secured his third consecutive W2RC rally win.
Lategan holds off Loeb, Al-Attiyah grabs another stage win
After five days of racing across South Africa, the gap between the top two remained razor-thin. Lategan drove a faultless rally and secured the overall win by placing third in the final stage, finishing with a total time of 12h10m42s. Sébastien Loeb placed sixth in the final stage and ended the rally just 39 seconds behind Lategan. Nasser Al-Attiyah (Dacia) bounced back with a stage win, his 45th W2RC stage victory, and climbed to tenth in the overall standings after serving earlier penalties. Brazil’s Lucas Moraes claimed second in the final stage and secured third place overall.
Dutch team Rik van den Brink and Gydo Heimans finished 21st overall in their Century CR7-T. Dave and Tessa Klaassen ended the rally in 24th place, while Rients Hofstra and co-driver Wade Harris closed the event in 27th after a tough week.
Top 5 Cars – Stage 5
- Nasser Al-Attiyah (QAT, Dacia) – 01:08:49
- Lucas Moraes (BRA, Toyota) – +01:56
- Henk Lategan (RSA, Toyota) – +02:00
- Mathieu Serradori (FRA, Century) – +02:32
- Carlos Sainz (ESP, Ford) – +02:48
Overall Standings – Cars (Top 5)
- Henk Lategan (RSA, Toyota) – 12:10:42
- Sébastien Loeb (FRA, Dacia) – +01:39
- Lucas Moraes (BRA, Toyota) – +02:55
- Gareth Woolridge (RSA, NWM) – +04:48
- Carlos Sainz (ESP, Ford) – +05:15
Brabec takes final stage, Sanders sets new records
American rider Ricky Brabec (Honda) took the final stage win with a time of 1h23m17s, followed by Daniel Sanders (+42s) and Ross Branch (+2:06). For Sanders, it marked the conclusion of a historic run: three straight W2RC rally victories (Dakar, Abu Dhabi, and South Africa), his 19th W2RC win, and a new seasonal record of 11 stage wins.
Although Austria’s Tobias Ebster (Hero) won the final Rally2 stage in 1h30m33s, the overall win went to Edgar Canet (Red Bull KTM). The Spaniard finished the rally with a lead of 15m24s over Ebster and 23m35s over Michael Docherty. Dutch rider Ian Olthof, the sole Dutch biker in the race, finished 11th in the final Rally2 stage and placed 14th overall.
Top 5 Bikes – Stage 5
- Ricky Brabec (USA, Honda) – 01:23:17
- Daniel Sanders (AUS, KTM) – +00:42
- Ross Branch (BOT, Hero) – +02:06
- Luciano Benavides (ARG, KTM) – +02:36
- Bradley Cox (RSA, Sherco) – +03:48
Overall Standings – Bikes (Top 5)
- Daniel Sanders (AUS, KTM) – 13:27:44
- Luciano Benavides (ARG, KTM) – +08:55
- Ricky Brabec (USA, Honda) – +10:00
- Adrien van Beveren (FRA, Honda) – +15:47
- Skyler Howes (USA, Honda) – +35:48
Argentinian duel sees Zille victorious
Nicolás Cavigliasso claimed his first stage win of the week, but it was David Zille who secured overall victory in the Challenger class with three stage wins and a margin of just 3m39s over his teammate. Adam Kuś (Akpol) completed the podium. Dutch-South African driver Puck Klaassen (G Rally Team) enjoyed several podium finishes throughout the week and concluded the rally in seventh overall.
Enrico Gaspari set the fastest time in the final SSV stage, but it was Mário Franco who claimed overall victory in his W2RC debut. Dutchman Wouter Rosegaar and British driver Richard Aczel finished strong and secured second place overall, just minutes behind the winner. Michele Cinotto rounded out the top three.
Martinez untouchable in Quads
The quad category was completely dominated by Gaëtan Martinez (France) and Antanas Kanopkinas (Lithuania), both riding for CFMoto Thunder Racing. Martinez won the final stage and took the overall win. South African Carien Teessen completed the rally in third place.
Final thoughts
With a South African winner in the car category and an Australian powerhouse dominating the bikes, the first-ever South African Safari Rally concluded as a true highlight of the W2RC season. The excitement, terrain diversity, and enthusiasm from both fans and participants made it a worthy addition to the global rally raid calendar.
