Summarize

Red-Lined Motorsport racing with the Penta Motor Group delivered a spectacular T1 class result at 2022’s premier South African Rally-Raid Championship Toyota Gazoo Racing 1000 Desert Race in Upington over the weekend. 

German driver Daniel Schröder and SA navigator Ryan Bland scored a superb class victory aboard their WCT Engineering-run Red-Lined VK50. They held Penta Motor Group Red-Lined VK56 pairing of Philip Botha and Roelof Janse van Vuren off for second in class. Botha and van Vuren quite incredibly stretched their unblemished cross country racing finishing record to sixteen races, 44 stages and 11 300km on the trot. Another Red-Lind VK56 crew, OdorCure duo Johan de Bruyn and Gerhard Schutte ended sixth in T1 on Johan’s second national, fifth-ever cross country outing and first ever Desert 1000 event.

“That’s a wrap of the 2022 Desert 1000!” a delighted Red-Lined CEO Terence Marsh reported. “A Red-Lined 1-2 headed by an overall win for one of our customers and three finishers from our four team starters in what was an incredibly tough and challenging event. “What more could we ask for? “Congratulations to Daniel and Ryan, and to Stuart Thompson and the WCT team on that T1 win and a huge shout out to our Penta Motor Group boys Philip and Roelof for an incredible second overall in FIA T1.

“Congratulations also to our circuit racing refugee Johan and his wily wing man Gerhard on finishing the gruelling Desert Race in an impressive 6th place on their maiden outing in what was a hugely competitive FIA T1 class. “These results are all huge testament to our rugged and reliable Red-Lined VK series race cars. “The VK50 and VK56 are designed and built with the businessman and semi-professional driver in mind and all three of them this weekend proved just what can be achieved with some good preparation.”

The Desert Race proved a little more challenging on the two all-new Red-Lined REVOs, which continued through their development phase at the Desert Race. Dubai driver Thomas Edward Bell and notes man Wade Harris overcome an array of challenges throughout the event to eventually bring their brand new REVO home in a credible 8th overall in the FIA T1 class on debut. Sadly, the flying Chris Visser and Albertus Venter had a major altercation with a rock, which put a premature end to their desert challenge aboard their Dragon Energy Drink REVO.

“All in all, the 2022 Desert Race was a really challenging race after all the rain in the area,” Terence Marsh concluded. “It really was a tough one, but so rewarding none the less. “Special congratulations to all our Red-Lined crews and of course to our incredible technical team, without whose great support, none of this would ever be possible!”