Desert Race returns to June date
Kabelo Boranabi | Tuesday December 9, 2025 07:56
This will be the second edition of the first locally-owned and managed 1000km desert race and features both car and bike racing. The event will roar into Botswana’s desert sands from June 19 to 21, promising bigger crowds and heightened action after the first edition in April drew fewer spectators. This year marked a historic milestone as the event is now fully locally-owned and managed following the departure of the 1000km Toyota Desert Race. Organised by the Botswana Motor Sport (BMS) in partnership with Cyro Motorsport Group, the race builds on the success of the 2025 Botswana Off Road Racing Championship (BORRC) and the landmark 2025 Sarona Kalahari 1000 Desert Race in Jwaneng.
The 2026 edition reinforces Botswana’s ability to host a world-class rally-raid entirely under local ownership.
BMS president, Kagiso Modibedi, said the event offers more than racing.
“We must develop our youth, cultivate talent, and provide platforms for Batswana to excel internationally as motorsport champions. Ross Branch became the 2024 World Champion, proving Botswana’s potential. The Sarona 1000 gives us the chance to continue that momentum,' he said.
Modibedi highlighted the strategic partnerships driving the sport’s growth as he said with support from the Botswana National Sport Commission, Ministry of Sport and Arts, and all stakeholders, BMS now has the platforms needed to take the country to the global stage.
He added that the 2025 Sarona 1000, strengthened by world governing body, FIA training and locally developed skills, proved Botswana could run its own desert race without relying on South Africa, a move that eliminated risks like the 2024 cancellation.
Cyro Motorsport Group CEO, Moizuddin Ahmad drew a comparison between the local desert race and Botswana’s natural diamonds.
“Just as natural diamonds support thousands of Batswana through employment, community development, and the economic foundation of our nation, localising the desert race ensures Botswana retains its value.
“Our vast, untouched terrain is one of the country’s greatest resources, uniquely suited for off-road racing, and the 2025 event alone created over 500 jobs whilst injecting more than P8 million into Jwaneng, Mabutsane and surrounding areas,' he said.
Ahmad added that shifting the event from foreign control to full local management despite previous heavy government funding is of high national importance.
“Revenues now stay in Botswana, supporting local communities, youth development, and gender inclusion. Skills transfer through Botswana Motorsport and the FIA has created income-earning opportunities for local officials whilst showcasing Botswana’s natural beauty to the international stage,' he said.
The desert race also promotes sport tourism, a growing sector of high economic value. Through its inclusive model, rural communities benefit directly via Village Development Committees, gaining jobs, upskilling, and economic participation. “Sporting tourism built on Botswana’s natural resources is a high-potential, low-cost pathway for meaningful economic diversification and growth,” Ahmad said.
International interest continues to rise, with the 2025 race attracting Dakar-acclaimed drivers Mathieu Serradori and Brian Baragwanath, and Century Racing, who used Botswana as a testing ground for Dakar 2026 vehicles.