– Aliyyah Koloc to race in some selected events of the South African Rally Raid Championship as well as the FIA Middle East Cup for Cross-Country Bajas with a firm focus on the 2024 Dakar Rally
– A test in the T1 and T1+ car is scheduled for her next week in South Africa
– She will also participate in the 24h Series in the GT4 category
– Her twin sister Yasmeen to make a comeback in the Middle East Cup for Cross-Country Bajas later in the year
– In addition, Buggyra ZM Racing to continue young driver development through their Academy program
Buggyra ZM Racing is pleased to announce that the team will enter the full 2023 24h Series with Aliyyah Koloc behind the wheel. The 18-year-old will be sharing her Mercedes AMG GT4 with experienced drivers David Vrsecky and Adam Lacko. She will also participate in some selected rounds of the FIA 2R World Rally Championship as well as the South African Rally Raid Championship. The mix of circuit racing and off-road racing proved very successful last year for Aliyyah to develop her driver skills leading up to her first ever Dakar Rally in January this year where she finished in 33rd position in the T3 category.
« I had a successful season last year in the FIA Middle East Cup for Cross-Country Bajas. To become overall champion in what was only my first season in the series was absolutely amazing. I am looking very much forward to going back this year and defending my title. It is also a valuable learning ground for me to prepare even better for the next Dakar Rally. After my first experience at this iconic event earlier this year where I managed to fulfil my target of finishing, I’d like to come back even stronger next year and fight for higher positions, » Aliyyah said.
Yasmeen Koloc to come back after injury
Her twin sister Yasmeen had to pause her racing activities in 2022 after an on-track accident at the 12h of Spa. The recovery process took longer than expected but Yasmeen is planning to return to racing in 2023 for some selected races of the FIA Middle East Cup for Cross-Country Bajas.
« I had to pause for a long time due to my injury, so I can’t wait to finally return to racing. This year, I will focus on off-road racing as my target remains to finally compete in the Dakar Rally. It wasn’t meant to be this year, so I will use this season as an additional training ground to be prepared as much as possible for the 2024 event, » Yasmeen said.
Testing in the highest rally raid category this week
In addition to her racing schedule, next week, from 14-16 March, Aliyyah will run a test program in South Africa in a T1 and T1+ car, the latter representing the highest category inf off-road racing. The testing is meant to prepare her for a number of selected races in one of the most competitive rally raid championships in the world, in South Africa.
Buggyra ZM Racing Team Principal Martin Koloc said: « For 2023, we have decided to restructure our engagement across the championships we are participating in. After last year, when Aliyyah and Yasmeen participated in short and endurance GT racing as well as the EuroNascar and off-road racing, it became clear that we needed to bundle our efforts and focus on GT endurance races. As one of our medium-term targets is to participate in Le Mans, the 24h Series, that we will run in the GT4 category this year, will be an excellent learning ground with their 6-, 12- and 24-Hour races.
« Our rally raid program is the second pillar of our commitment this year to make sure Aliyyah and Yasmeen continue to learn about off-road racing and be as prepared as possible for their most important event of the year, the Dakar Rally. »
Buggyra Academy Program for Youngsters
Buggyra will also continue its successful Academy program where through structures in France, Dubai and China young racers as well as other motorsport professions are groomed for successful motorsport careers. One of those drivers is 20-year-old Téo Calvet who has been successfully competing in the French Truck Championship and will now move into the team’s endurance program with selected events.
To round up their 2023 campaign, Buggyra ZM Racing will participate with several cars in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo, the ESET Cup as well as the French Truck Racing Championship.