The 2025 South African Rally-Raid Championship (SARRC) season will start on a high note when it returns to the Vryheid area in northern KwaZulu-Natal for the second year and the flag for the PS Laser Vryheid 400, the first round of the series, will drop on 14 and 15 March.
The PS Laser Vryheid 400 will form the first of seven rounds of the 2025 SARRC season and if the climax at the end of the 2024 season as well as the memories of the close racing at this event last year is anything to go by, thrilling action can be expected with action-packed races and tight championship battles throughout the year.
For the first round, teams and competitors will return to the Vryheid Airfield where the Start/Finish, the Designated Service Point (DSP) and Race Headquarters will be situated. It will also be here where enthusiasts and spectators can meet their heroes and get a closer view of the impressive racing machines.
The PS Laser Vryheid 400 will be structured as a Super Event consisting of the Prologue and Stage One on Friday, 14 March followed by Stage Two and Stage Three on Saturday, 15 March.
The Falken Wild Peak Prologue will start at 10:15 and will comprise 16 kilometres. It will have a familiar feel to it and competitors can expect to have their work cut for them on a tight and technical route in and around the forest. This racing section will determine the starting order for Stage One which starts at 13:15.
For Stage One, teams will explore the lowlands in the area 30 kilometres to the west of Vryheid. The 80km loop will make its way around cultivated fields through some of the wetlands and will finish along the base of the mountain.
The results of the racing on Friday will be used to determine the starting line-up for Stage Two on Saturday morning when the racing action gets underway at 08:00 with teams taking on a 170km loop. It will take them in and around the forest and will also include two spectacular mountain pass sections as well as some challenging river crossings. Like last year, the challenging route will deliver breathtaking scenes and will consist of varied terrain, from the lowlands next to the mealie fields and rivers to the testing mountain sections.
Upon completion of Stage Two, competitors will return to the DSP for a compulsory 30-minute service break before taking on the 170km loop again.
The concentration of the teams will be tested by rocky sections in the mountains and tough tracks as well as nice open and faster flowing sections and those who can balance speed, patience and good judgement, will reap the rewards.
With the area currently experiencing torrential rains, the situation with the dust that caused havoc during the 2024 edition of the Vryheid event, might just look totally different this year.
The PS Laser Vryheid 400 will also form Rounds 1 and 2 of the KZN Regional Championship and competitors will have to complete the 170 kilometres loop twice on Saturday to be awarded points in the two rounds.
Spectator vantage points will be published on social media and enthusiasts will be able to follow the action along various sections of the route The Route map will be available on https://www.facebook.com/sarallyraidchampionship, https://www.sacrosscountryracing.co.za/; Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarallyraidchampionship/ and Twitter: @SACCS.Auto and the RallySafe App, available as a free download from the iStore and Google PlayStore.
