Stellantis South Africa confirms three-year title sponsorship of The Stellantis Adventure Series

• Stellantis confirmed as title sponsor of the Stellantis Adventure Series for three years.
• The series features a prize pot of more than R500 000 in prize money and plans to expand beyond Gauteng.

JOHANNESBURG – March 4, 2025 – Stellantis recently confirmed a landmark three-year title sponsorship of the 2026 Stellantis Adventure Series, a Gauteng-based gravel cycling and trail running programme comprising five endurance events staged in the Magaliesburg area.

The sponsorship, concluded with The Leverage Corporation, unites five established gravel racing events under a single branded series: the 2026 Stellantis Adventure Series; forming the premier gravel racing and trail running event in Gauteng. Stellantis’ attendance at the series events will help strengthen the Group’s market presence through direct interaction with customers, dealers and communities in an environment aligned with their mobility and lifestyle strategy.

Charl Timms, Commercial Director at Stellantis Middle East and Africa, said the partnership supports the company’s strategic priorities in South Africa.  “We recognised the adventure series as a platform that aligns naturally with our brands and with the way our customers live and move,” Timms said. “This partnership gives us a consistent presence in a lifestyle-orientated environment that reflects exploration and performance. It also allows us to engage directly with customers and dealers outside of traditional retail spaces, and to build sustained brand relevance in South Africa over the next three years.”

Stellantis represents seven brands locally – Alfa Romeo, Citroën, Fiat, Jeep®, Opel, Peugeot and Leapmotor – each serving different mobility needs while sharing a focus on accessibility, everyday usability and exploration.

The Stellantis Adventure Series provides a shared activation platform across all five events. Dealers attend and host customers, employees participate alongside entrants, and the brands maintain an on-site presence throughout the season. The structure allows repeated interaction with owners and prospective buyers in a familiar environment rather than a once-off campaign. The timing is intentional, Timms said.

“The endurance and outdoor sporting category continues to attract a committed, passionate and ever-expanding audience,” Timms said. “For Stellantis it’s important that we’re present where our customers already spend their time, as this strengthens our footprint. As a racing series, it provides a model that we can leverage to help extend the Stellantis Adventure Series into other provinces in the coming months, in line with The Leverage Corporation’s ideals.”

Over the three-year term, Stellantis will integrate vehicle showcases and dealer participation across the calendar, using each event as an ongoing engagement touchpoint.

The three-year term allows Stellantis South Africa and its dealer network to participate consistently across all five events. This past weekend saw the completion of the Luxliner Route 66 challenge, the second leg of the 2026 Stellantis Adventure Series, following the opening race, The Grind, earlier in February.

Rob Jackson, Series Director at The Leverage Corporation, said the partnership provides long-term stability for the series.  “Bringing Stellantis South Africa on board as title sponsor allows us to elevate the events into a unified platform,” Jackson said. “Participation has grown significantly year-on-year, and the support of an automotive group like Stellantis South Africa gives us a foundation on which to expand the race to other areas in the country sustainably.”

Jackson confirmed that more than R500 000 in prize money is available across the five events, reinforcing the series’ competitive positioning, while maintaining accessibility for amateur athletes and schools.

Trail running distances of 5km, 10km and 15km form part of selected events, alongside a 45km schools category linked to the Luxliner School MTB Series.

Event details

The 2026 Stellantis Adventure Series comprises five events in the Magaliesburg region:

Round 1: 7 February, The Grind, 155km, Valley Lodge.
Round 2: 28 February and 1 March, Luxliner Route 66, 100km and 80km, Mount Grace Hotel and Spa.
Round 3: 5 September, Magalies Rocks the Cradle, 100km, Die Krip.
Round 4: 3 and 4 October, Cradle Mountain Trophy, 100km and 80km, Valley Lodge.
Round 5: 29 November, Magalies Adventure, 100km, Galloway Gardens.

There are other supplementary events linked to the Stellantis Adventure Series that take place throughout the year.

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