- The Nissan Spirit of Africa Trophy 2025 elimination round is heating up at the Sandwani Game Lodge in Gauteng, as a total of 400 teams vie for a place in the finals.
- Now in its 21st year, the event continues a proud legacy as Africa’s toughest off-road challenge.
- This year’s competition features the recently launched Nissan Navara PRO-4X Warrior as the event’s official 4×4.
- An exclusive Media Participation Day was held on Tuesday, 27 May 2025, with an invitation for journalists to experience the adrenaline of the Spirit of Africa.
Widely recognised as the continent’s toughest 4×4 driving challenge, the Nissan Spirit of Africa Trophy is revving up for its 21st anniversary and third annual edition under the Nissan banner. Elimination rounds for the 2025 competition began on 22 April, with 400 two-person teams testing their off-road driving skills to secure a coveted spot in the Top 20, which will be announced after 21 June.
All the action is taking place at the Sandwani Game Lodge in Gauteng, as this year’s competitors tackle the course in the newly launched Nissan Navara PRO-4X Warrior by Premcar – a South African-produced, Australian-engineered high-performance Navara variant introduced to the country in March.
Founded by rally legend Sarel van der Merwe 21 years ago, the Nissan Spirit of Africa Trophy gives off-road enthusiasts the chance to compete on equal footing in a gruelling off-road gauntlet. During the elimination phase, participants power through various skills-based trials requiring precision driving on tricky terrain, as well as challenging speed tests designed to put the Warrior and its drivers through their paces.
An exclusive Media Participation Day was held on Tuesday, 27 May 2025, during which members of the motoring press had the opportunity to experience the Spirit of Africa challenge first-hand. On the day, journalists and influencers navigated the same Sandwani trails in the Navara PRO-4X Warrior by Premcar under competition conditions, allowing them to test their mettle against the fellow motoring media heavyweights and discover the Warrior’s power in action.
To accommodate for schedules, 22 select journalists and influencers completed 12 of the 16 total Spirit of Africa events, competing in four technical and eight high-octane speed challenges. Those fastest over the line or with the least number of infractions walked home at the top of the day’s log. Infractions varied between 10 and 30 points deducted or seconds added per infringement pole struck.
With a total of 948 points out of 1,200, Brendon Staniforth (Maroela Media) and Oliver Keohane (Leisure Wheels) claimed the top spot, followed by Reuben van Niekerk (Wheels24) and Denis Droppa (Business Day) in second place, and Willem van de Putte (IOL) and Anton Willemse (4×4 Africa) in third.
Maciej Klenkiewicz, Country Managing Director for Nissan South Africa and Independent Markets Africa (IMA) says, “The surge in enthusiasm and the popularity of this competition – growing from 300 to 400 fully booked team groups in just a year – is remarkable.
“This year’s series is particularly exciting, with the introduction of the Warrior as the new official competition vehicle. The Warrior is specifically engineered for exactly these kinds of intense, severe driving circumstances, and we can’t imagine better grounds for proving its capabilities than the Spirit of Africa.”
Engineered for extreme terrain
The Navara PRO-4X Warrior by Premcar is a flagship variant of Nissan’s Navara range, specially enhanced for rugged performance. The Navara variant was recently launched on local shores as part of a collaboration between Nissan and Australian engineering firm Premcar, making South Africa the first market outside Australia to build and offer the Warrior. Manufactured at Nissan’s Rosslyn plant near Pretoria, the Warrior boasts a 2.5-litre DDTi turbo-diesel engine, putting out 140 kW of power and 450 Nm of torque.
Premcar’s enhancements to the Navara include a reinforced suspension with newly tuned springs and dampers, increased ride height and ground clearance, a wider track, a heavy-duty bash plate, reinforced underbody, and high-performance all-terrain tyres – all designed to withstand the most punishing landscapes Africa has to offer.
As teams continue to negotiate the demanding Spirit of Africa obstacles this month – ranging from high-speed rally-type segments to tight manoeuvres through harsh terrain – the Warrior’s blend of torque, durability, and intelligent 4×4 technology is essential to conquering the course.
“The Spirit of Africa is a true reflection of Nissan’s heritage and commitment in South Africa. For decades, we’ve built vehicles locally that are made to meet the demands of our unique and rugged terrain. Seeing the Warrior – proudly assembled at our Rosslyn plant – go head-to-head with Africa’s toughest conditions is not only a moment of pride, but a powerful demonstration of what we stand for: capability, endurance, and a deep connection to the people and places that drive us forward,” says Klenkiewicz.
By the end of the elimination round in June, the top 20 teams will have proven their own prowess, while demonstrating the Warrior’s endurance. These finalists will advance to a grand finale event later in 2025, where the ultimate winner of the 2025 Spirit of Africa Trophy will be crowned.
