Johannesburg-born rally driver Saood Variawa is cognizant of the opportunity that’s presenting itself to the South African motorsports landscape with the World Rally Raid Championship coming up next month.
For the first time since its inception in 2022, South Africa will host the third round of the W2RC from May 18 to 24.
The 19-year-old racer, who has been behind the wheel of a car since he was a toddler, is ecstatic to race in front of a home crowd for the first time. Sun City in the North West Province will be the base camp for the duration of the South African leg, and will see drivers cover around 400 km every day.
Saood Variawa Saood Variawa
Image: Toyota Gazoo Racing
Variawa races for team Toyota Gazoo Racing and will be driving his 3.5 litre twin turbo Hilux through a mix of fast flowing tarmacs, dense bush areas, African plains and across a few rivers around the Pilanesberg National Park.
Coming from a family with roots steeped in the world of motorsport, Variawa said he is looking forward to pushing the limits on his Hilux come next month. He said he was fortunate because he is familiar with the terrain that the W2RC will cover next month.
“It’s going to be really special for us as South Africans and even us as Toyota Gazoo Racing because this is basically a home race for us. There’s also going to be other SA drivers for the brand so overall, it's a huge opportunity for us to have this race on home ground.
“That being said, it is also going to be extremely competitive and I expect everyone will bring their A game,” Variawa said.
The young racer started off in karting, then entered touring car disciplines before making the pivot to rally when he was 17. He still races in the South African touring car series in a GR Corolla.
While track racing, including the likes of Formula One and the IndyCar500 may include the fastest race cars and drivers in the world, racing in rally requires a whole new set of skills. To be frank, rally drivers are on top of the motoring food chain [in my opinion].
It’s not just driving through the dirt and muck, absolutely pushing the vehicle to the limits, but it's also the type of terrain which makes it more interesting because of how easy it is to break a drive shaft or some cheap housing that could end your race.
Variawa had to learn the in’s and out's of a race car and also spent a lot of time with the technical team that developed the fire breathing Hilux.
Saood Variawa's Hilux racing through Abu Dhabi Saood Variawa's Hilux racing through Abu Dhabi
Image: Toyota Gazoo Racing.
“ It is really important for us in the rally scene to know our way around the car. Because when you are out there, nobody is coming to help. You need to know how to change a part, or swap out a broken one if the time ever comes,” he said.
Mentally and physically, the 19-year-old said he’s been at it and doesn’t think he will make any special preparations for the South African race, as he is in a perpetual state of motion.
“I don’t think I am going to do any sort of preparation for the vent. I am constantly training. I do cardio and endurance training five days a week. There is also a lot of neck and back training because you need to be able to sit for like 6 hours at a time. I also work with a psychologist just to stay on top of things mentally,” he added.
