It may be starting late, but the South African Rally-Raid season is certainly starting with a bang with the country’s first ever World Championship event, the Safari Rally to be held at Sun City during the week of 18-24 May 2025. It’s also a huge week for Kyalami-based, Red-Lined Motorsport, which cars make up 25% of an absolute world class entry list.
“The South African Safari Rally is by far the biggest race in South African Rally-Raid history and a really important one for us at Red-Lined Motorsport,” team principal Terence Marsh explains. “Also, the biggest race of the international season outside of the Dakar, the Safari Rally has attracted an impressive 36 Ultimate class entries which includes all the top international teams. Of that, nine Red-Lined manufactured cars will be competing, which is a rather sizeable feather in our cap!
“As such, we are immensely proud that our little South African start-up has quite literally delivered the race cars of choice at what is regarded as the highest level of our sport. Of our nine race cars, five are our state-of-the-art latest generation Red-Lined REVO T1+, which are then backed up by four of our tried and tested T1 class machines.”
Red-Lined Motorsport’s four-car T1+ attack comprises of our two factory VAPS HCV sponsored REVO GT-R’s for young Rally-Raid sensation and former world karting champion ?Jayden Els and Johann Swemmer, and then Dutch speedster ?Rients Hofstra and local lad Wade Harris. “Our two-factory backed REVO GT-R’s carry our latest factory developments and upgrades for what will be a big testing and development event. Both crews are tackling their maiden World Cup races in preparation for future Dakar attacks,” Marsh explains.
“The two factory REVO T1+ GT-R turbo V6 powered cars will be backed by a pair of brand-new latest specification REVO T1+ V8’s powered by normally aspirated 5.6-litre V8 engines.” Red-Lined stalwarts Philip Botha and Roelof Janse van Vuren make their step up in their newly acquired Penta sponsored REVO T1+ V8 alongside teammates Danie Ludick and Denzil Williamson in their similar Elegant Fuel sponsored machine to complete the four-car Red-Lined Motorsport team.
In addition to the T1+ entries, experienced DaklaPack Rallysport crew Dave and Tessa Klaassen from the Netherlands will be out in their REVO T1+ GT-R. Dave and Tessa will feel quite at home after competing in our South African Championship over the past few years.
Of the rest, Red-Lined Motorsport will also support three further privateer crews in the T1 class. The Sirkel N duo, current South African T1 champions Gerhard and Rudi Heinlein make their international debut in their Red-Lined VK56. It’s a huge week for the younger Nickus Heinlein, who moves straight from regionals into international competition together with Jaco Kriel on the notes in their Red-Lined VK50. ?Johan de Bruyn and Adriaan Roets, also on international debut, wrap up the Red-Lined representation in their Falken Tyres sponsored REVO T1 VK56.
“The Safari Rally is a huge weekend for Red-Lined.” Terence concludes. “ It’s just as big for our respective crews as they are all on debut in this different navigational and racing format of World Cup Rally-Raid racing. Our overall team objective is to use this incredible opportunity to race on the World Cup stage within our own backyard to learn and develop as much as we can with our Dakar 2026 and Dakar 2027 aspirations in mind.
“While all our crews may be new to this level of competition and learning to navigate in a completely different manner to how they are accustomed, they are however all very well versed in racing across tough and demanding South African terrain. All of which ultimately makes for a hugely exciting event for us as a team! We cannot wait for the challenges, experiences, and all we will learn in the week ahead.” Let the adventures begin!!!”
*Red-Lined Motorsport competes with premium strategic partners, the Penta Motor Group, VAPS HVC, BFGoodrich, Motul, Dragon Energy, OMP, Ingco South Africa and ExpandaSign.
