The World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC) is the world’s premier motorsport series, featuring five races across three continents——Asia, Europe and Africa——that bring together the world’s best off-road drivers. From arid deserts to rugged terrain, each race offers a unique set of challenges that test both the car’s performance and the driver’s will.

Taking place in South Africa for the first time from 18-24 May 2025, the South African Safari Rally is an innovative W2RC event that promises to be a highlight of the championship. This thrilling event tests the endurance and skills of the world’s best rally drivers as they race through South Africa’s breathtaking terrain. With its rugged terrain, diverse climate and the most challenging stages, the South Africa Rally is one of the most unique and challenging events on the W2RC calendar.

The current concept of the event is to bring together FIM drivers and FIA drivers and teams in the same race. Among them, FIM is the category we focus on, which has three major categories: RALLY GP, RALLY 2 and QUAD. Motorcycle manufacturers such as Honda, KTM, Hero, Yamaha, and CFMOTO participated in this event. Among them, the CFMOTO 1000 driven by the all-terrain vehicle equipped with a V-twin engine shows strong traction and stability in extreme terrain. And the team stood out in this one of the most difficult events in Africa with its excellent performance and tenacious will, winning the category championship and team awards, becoming the biggest dark horse of this event.

In the Quad category, the team’s two drivers- Gaëtan Martinez of France and Antanas Kanopkinas of Lithuania- took first and second place respectively, and the third place went to Yamaha’s female driver Teessen. Martinez finished the race with a total time of 17 hours, 3 minutes and 54 second, 22 minutes and 25 seconds ahead of Kanopkinas. The two drivers performed well throughout the event, winning all special stages, consolidating their leading position in the FIM World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC) Quad category, and also demonstrating CFMOTO ’s strong strength in the international rally arena.

In recent years, Chinese teams have made significant progress in international off-road rally events. This is the first time that CFMOTO has participated in the South African Safari Rally, but their performance has already made the world re-examine the strength of Chinese brands in high-end off-road events. As a top Chinese motorcycle manufacturer, CFMOTO is accelerating its global event layout and using the competitive stage to enhance the brand’s international influence.