Summarize

Time to race as five car team heads for Upington

Red-Lined Motorsport racing together with the Penta Motor Group is gearing up for its biggest adventure and toughest challenge of the 2022 South African Rally-Raid Championship as it heads to Upington for the Toyota Gazoo Racing 1000 Desert Race in a five-car attack, 24 – 26 June.

“The Desert Race is the jewel of the South African Rally-Raid Championship crown and 2022 is no exception,” Red-Lined team principal Terence Marsh pointed out. “It’s a most exciting one for us as we are taking five cars up to the gruelling Northern Cape semi-desert for three days of racing over a thousand kilometres in the biggest challenge of the local season.

“It’s a special one for us on a number of fronts too – we have two Red-Lined REVOs racing for the first time this weekend, one of them driven by a crack local crew, another with an international driver at the helm. “On top of that, there are a couple of dependable Red-Lined VK56’s in some capable hands, and then a 4x4 rookie at the wheel of one of our Red-Lined VK50 racers too. “

Topping the Red-Lined Motorsport attack is none other than former multiple South African cross country racing champion and 2022 Dakar hero Chris Visser, with Albertus Venter reading the notes aboard the Dragon Energy Red-Lined REVO. The Desert Race is North West Province local Visser’s playground and the man who grew up racing in the area, knows the terrain like the back of his hand. He and Venter are considered by many to be the ultimate Upington dark horses for overall honours, and among the FIA T1 class favourites as they tackle their first national aboard the radical new REVO.

International racer, Dubai-based Brit Thomas Bell returns to FIA T1 class action following a recent stint in side-by-side races aboard his brand new TBR Red-Lined REVO with local lad Wade Harris reading the notes. A seasoned competitor on the world stage and Dakar veteran, Bell is well versed in desert racing and he cannot wait to get to grips with his new steed in anger. This crew has a fine reputation of getting to the finish against all odds. The Desert Race should be no exception.

If finishing a race were an art form, then the Penta pairing of Philip Botha and Roelof Janse van Vuren would be considered the grand masters. This intrepid crew has quite incredibly now finished every one of the sixteen races and 44 stages that they have ever started aboard their Penta Motor Group VK56. That of course includes their first TGR Desert Race in 2021, so the main focus of Botha and van Vuren will be to continue with their current form as they build up to the 2023 Dakar.

The second Red-Lined VK56 heading to Upington will be in the hands of another hot rally raid rookie. OdorCure duo Johan de Bruyn and highly experienced navigator Gerhard Schutte head to Upington for Johan’s second national and fifth-ever cross country raid. Quick and dependable so far in his short dirt career, de Bruyn is an experienced circuit racer and he has adapted to his new racing genre with great aplomb. Now he’s savouring his biggest challenge yet aboard his FIA T1 class OdorCure VK56.

Last but not least, Nicolas Pienaar and Carl Swanepoel step up to the FIA T1 class for the first time as they debut their Super Energi Race Fuels VK50. Both are hugely excited about their first run in a production vehicle as they step up from a special vehicle for the first time. Their progress will be watched with interest in what is an incredibly competitive class. 

“It has been a long wait since the opening round of the SA National Rally-Raid Championship way back in March following flood delays, postponements and a re-scheduled calendar, but the entire Red-Lined Motorsport team is primed for a great weekend in the desert,” Terence Marsh concluded. “Three days of ultimate racing adventure in the toughest and most challenging conditions lie ahead of us! “We can’t wait!”


*Red-Lined Motorsport competes with premium strategic partners, the Penta Motor Group, BFGoodrich, Motul, Dragon Energy, Jonnesway Tools, OMP, Expand a Sign and Wheel Collision. 

ENDS

Issued on behalf of Red-Lined Motorsport

What:South African Rally Raid Championship Rounds 2 & 3 Preview
Where:Upington, North West Province
When:24-26 June 2022
Community:South Africa National

For further information please contact terence@redlined.co.za

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