Aliyyah Koloc, with her team Buggyra ZM Racing, will make her Pacific Ocean debut this weekend at the Vanuatu International Rally. It is the first time the team participates in a rally in this remote region of the world. The participation comes one month after team driver Aliyyah Koloc launched Foundation29, a cross-cultural philanthropic initiative focusing on tribal art and cultural preservation, tailored support for individuals with Asperger’s, and environmental protection in the Pacific and beyond.
The Vanuatu International Rally, the flagship motorsport event of the Pacific, takes place August 22-24, 2025, on the island of Efate. The event is part of the Vanuatu Rally Championship and it attracts both national and international drivers, covering 269.6 km of competitive distance with a total rally distance of 397 km.
Preparations for a new rally
Aliyyah Koloc will compete in a Ford Fiesta Proto Mk8, a car new to her experience, alongside 26-year-old local experienced rally navigator Ysée Bedford. To prepare for the unique format and unfamiliar terrain, Koloc completed a comprehensive two-day test over the previous weekend.
« The test was good. It’s a very nice car to drive and very fast, » said Aliyyah. « The rally itself is going to be in a WRC style, so lots of short stages over three days, which is something different for me. I will be working with a local navigator, which is important, as she has the necessary experience of the terrain that I am lacking. We will write our own roadbook together, which is another first for me. I’m a little curious about how that will go, but for sure I am looking forward to the new experience. »
Foundation29 connection
The rally participation serves as a platform to raise awareness for Foundation29, which Aliyyah established on her 21st birthday earlier this year. The foundation aims to bridge culture, neurodiversity, and nature through three global core focus areas: tribal art and cultural preservation, tailored support for individuals with Asperger’s syndrome, and environmental protection.
With family connections to the Pacific region through her father, Aliyyah’s participation in the Vanuatu International Rally is a natural extension of her foundation’s mission to support and highlight the challenges that these remote Pacific communities are facing.
Rally format
Unlike traditional rally raids, where Aliyyah usually competes, the Vanuatu International Rally follows a World Rally Championship (WRC) format, featuring 29 stages distributed across three days of competition. The rally combines technical spectator stages with long endurance routes across the island of Efate. The event also features night stages, a rarity in Pacific rallying, alongside fast coastal stages and technical forest sections.
Rally schedule
Total distance: 397 km
Number of special stages: 29
Total distance of special stages: 269.6 km
Liaison: 127 km
Day 1 (Friday, August 22): Port Vila Korman Stadium specials, plantation stages, and night stages
Day 2 (Saturday, August 23): Takara airstrip & USA circuit, Dry Creek, the 30 km Mega Drive, Banana Bay, Eton, and night stages
Day 3 (Sunday, August 24): La Grande 24 km loop (repeated), Banana Bay sprints, and the decisive Power Stage finale