Toyota to support Dakar
CASH INJECTION: CAR MAKER WILL SPONSOR FOURTH ROUND IN KALAHARI BOTSWANA RACE
Iconic event will take place in the area around mining town Jwaneng in Botswana.
Toyota SA Motors has announced its financial support of the fourth round of the 2017 Dakar Challenge, which will form part of the Toyota Kalahari Botswana 1 000 Desert Race.
This iconic event is round three of the South African Cross Country Series, and will take place in the area around the mining town of Jwaneng from June 23-25.
The annual Dakar Challenge is run in conjunction with several global cross-country races. The winner of each round is invited to take part in Dakar 2018, with their entry fees waived as reward.
Toyota’s sponsorship of the Dakar Challenge, as part of the Desert Race, opens the door for local competitors to take part in the 2018 Dakar Rally at a vastly reduced cost.
“Since 2012, Toyota SA Motors has successfully campaigned our Toyota Hilux on the Dakar Rally. We feel a strong bond with the race, and our sponsorship of the Dakar Challenge is a way of giving something back to the local cross-country fraternity,” said Toyota SA vice-president: marketing, Glenn Crompton.
“There is no doubt that the Toyota Kalahari Botswana 1 000 Desert Race is the crown jewel in the South African Cross Country Series, and adding the prestigious Dakar Challenge to our event makes perfect sense.”
This year’s Dakar Challenge kicked off from March 21-23 at the Sonora Rally in Mexico, which catered only for bikes.
The next round was last weekend’s India Baja, again hosting the motorcycling fraternity.
Round three, the Merzouga Rally of Morocco, takes place from May 7-13 and will be the final opportunity for a talented biker to win free entry to the Dakar.
The first car round is the Toyota Kalahari Botswana 1 000 Desert Race, from June 23-25.
The series draws to a close from July 21-23 at the Baja Aragon in Spain.
South African Cross Country Series CEO Archie Rutherford said: “Thanks to Toyota’s sponsorship, any of our national competitors now stand a chance of winning free entry to the Dakar – a truly amazing prize.”
Toyota’s two factory crews will not be eligible to win the Dakar Challenge, as the event is open only to privateers who have not taken part in the Dakar Rally in the past.