The Winner of the Incredibly Hard Desert Race 1000 in Upington Will Grab a Ticket to the Dakar Rally in 2023

• Traditionally held in Botswana the 2022 Desert Race will take place on 24-26 June, once again in the area around the town Upington in the Northern Cape as it did in 2021
• Most importantly for privateers in the South African Rally-Raid Championship , the 1 000km race will give them an opportunity to win the race and book a ticket to the 2023 Dakar Rally
• In addition to the entry, a privateer stands to bag a total prize value of close to R700 000 for the journey from preparation to racing

After years of competitors battling in the harsh conditions of Botswana, the organisers of the desert race 1000 marathon rally moved to the Northern Cape town of Upington in 2021.

Toyota Gazoo Racing SA is currently the only team that offers the chance to secure a free entry to the Dakar Rally, at the Desert Race 1000 at the end of June 2022, MotorPress reports.

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As before, the Road to Dakar, as this initiative is known, is open to all privateers who haven’t previously taken part in the Dakar Rally. A nice touch by the Japanese carmaker is to allow the victor of the competition to either enter the 2023 edition or the 2024 rally. This provides the privateer with almost 18 months to get Dakar-ready.

This means that crews who have previously won the Dakar Challenge or Road to Dakar, but haven’t been able to take up their prize, are eligible to win again in 2022.

A new stipulation requires the driver and navigator must be Dakar rookies, neither have taken part in the Dakar Rally before.

The 2022 Road to Dakar prize is valued at close R700 000, which Toyota says paves the way for rookie privateers to realise their Dakar dreams. In order to be eligible for the ticket to Dakar, race crews will need to specifically register for the challenge before the start of the TGRSA 1000 Desert Race.

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The 2022 Desert Race will take place on 24-26 June, again in the area around the town Upington.

A Toyota Hilux's power and traction were all that was needed to tow a massive 12-wheeler truck out of trouble

A Toyota Hilux bakkie driver emerged as the hero after a video was posted on social media showing the single-cab 4x4 hauling a 12-wheeler truck up a gravel road, Briefly News reports.

The video has been viewed close to 30 000 times and is an impressive example of how powerful the Hilux is. The clip was uploaded on SA Trucker's Facebook page and many users heaped praise on the might of the diesel-powered Hilux.

However, that wasn't the full story as several people commented that the truck was handicapped from making progress up the road due to the placement of its load.

Source: Briefly News