The 34-year-old will contest the rally from August 24 to September 1 on a KTM 660 Rallye as part of a two-man team alongside fellow-South Australian Andy Caldecott, winner of the Safari's Moto Division in the past two years.

Haydon won the Moto Division of the Safari in 1997 on a KTM, and the following year he finished third in the Paris-Dakar rally with three stage victories.

The four-stroke machines Haydon and Caldecott will ride in this year's Safari were built at KTM's factory in Mattighofen, near Salzburg, and feature high-performance WP suspension, engine modifications, a carbon-fibre fuel cell, and purpose-built radiator and navigation equipment.

KTM Australia Manager Jeff Leisk said the decision to add Haydon to an expanded two-man works team with Caldecott was aimed at providing depth in their assault on the 4,200km event.

"Andy Caldecott has done a fantastic job winning the Safari for KTM twice, but the competition is getting stronger and we felt it would be better to go with two riders this time," said Leisk.

"It means we've got a second back-up option if someone has a problem because we're no longer reliant on one rider."

Haydon, who has not contested the Safari since 1999, believes he and Caldecott will make a strong combination in the event, which starts and finishes in Bathurst and includes overnight stops in Condobolin, Griffith, Wentworth, Broken Hill, White Cliffs, Cobar, and Dubbo.

"I think we've got every chance of winning because we've got good bikes and support from KTM, and two riders with plenty of experience," said Haydon. "In this type of racing it's all about putting eight days together and staying consistent and focused."

"It's a few years since I last did the Safari, but I've continued to ride and race in motocross so I'm up to it. The hardest thing for me will be getting used to map-reading again so I'll be working on that in the lead-up."

Haydon said he expected to encounter vastly different terrain and racing conditions in the 2002 Safari, compared to those in the Northern Territory, where the event was held in the past three years.

"I've done some racing around Condobolin and it's a lot harsher with more washouts, and not as sandy and as forgiving as what you'd find in the Northern Territory."

Caldecott said he and Haydon would go into the Safari on an equal standing in the KTM team.

"We won't be starting with any team orders as such, because the main priority will be to get a KTM across the line first regardless of which rider does it," said Caldecott.

"In a perfect world you'd like to think we're a chance of coming first and second, but we'll just have to wait and see what happens and look at what Honda and the others come up with."

Honda is yet to announce its team, but it is expected to include former Safari champion Stephen Greenfield, who was runner-up to Caldecott in 2001.

The Moto Division of this year's Safari will be the fourth of six rounds in the 2002 Federation Internationale Motocycliste (FIM) Cross-Country Rallies World Cup.