South African riders Dwain Barnard and Ronald Venter hope to run the 2024 Dakar Rally, and will use the upcoming Sonora Rally to further prepare. The two recently trained in the deserts of Namibia with Untamed Adventures & Tours.
Both come from a background in hard enduro riding, particularly in the South African National Enduro Series where they have raced against each other. Venter unofficially won the 2022 National Enduro Championship in the Senior division on an unofficial basis, owing to the category not having enough average starters per race to qualify for the overall, while Barnard only ran the season finale to rank sixth of eleven classified.
Barnard has also competed in the Kalahari Rally, which used to be Road to Dakar leg prior to the formation of the World Rally-Raid Championship. His family owns D & D Group of Companies, which offers services like electrical installations and generator support.
Both will race for Freedom Rally Racing. Many of those competing at Sonora, including fellow FRR riders like Ashley Thixton and Étienne Gélinas, are also Dakar Rally hopefuls and will vie for free admission to the race via the Road to Dakar programme.
The Sonora Rally will take place on 23–28 April.
