The Botswana Tourism Organisation (BTO) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the South Africa Cross-country Championship Series (SACCS) over hosting rights of the Toyota Gazoo Racing 1000 Kalahari Botswana Desert Race (TDR 1000).
The BTO announced today that they have agreed to a five-year contract with SACCS to host the race popularly known as Matshwabisi.
This weekend, the race returns to local shores for the first time since 2019, with Jwaneng as the host. Jwaneng last hosted the event five years ago, before the event was taken to Selebi-Phikwe. However, organisers received complaints over the terrain in the extreme eastern parts of the country. The last two editions of the race were held in Upington in the Northern Cape, South Africa.
Addressing the media, BTO acting CEO, Keitumetse Setlang confirmed Botswana will enjoy the challenging race for the next five years. She said Jwaneng could host all five editions but that will depend on if the terrain is in good condition. She said the terrain in Jwaneng meets all the requirements of an elite off-road race and the mining town could be the Mantshwabisi home ground. “Our intention is for the event to remain in Botswana. As we all know, we always shift from area to area, we were in Kumakwane sometime, we went to Selebi-Phikwe, and at some point, we were in Gaborone and Hatsalatladi. The five years is for the event to be taking place in Jwaneng,” Setlang said. She added the reception the race has received in the country was one of the key factors in the negotiation with SACCS. Without giving figures, Setlang confirmed the BTO had agreed to cover some of the expenses to bring the race to the local shores. The 2023 edition of the TDR will start on Friday and runs until Sunday. The race has been inducted into the road to Dakar Rally and the winner will automatically qualify for the next two editions of the international showpiece.
