Red-Lined Scores a South African T1+ 1-2-3 and T1 Adventure 1-2
It was a huge weekend for Red-Lined Motorsport, which took control of two classes in the 2026 South African Rally Raid Championship at the second-round GR Stella 1000 Marathon in the North West Province.
A trio of Red-Lined REVO V8s made the South African T1+ class their own with a brilliant 1-2-3 result, backed by a compelling Red-Lined VK50 1-2 in the T1 Adventure class.
These collective results saw the proudly South African manufacturer claim two class victories and five podium finishes in the longest and most demanding event of the season.
“The tough and challenging thousand-kilometre Stella 1000 Marathon definitely produced one of our best-ever results,” explained a delighted Red-Lined Group CEO Terence Marsh.
“Three Red-Lined REVO T1+ V8s came home in a dominant 1-2-3, while a pair of our tried-and-tested T1 VK50s made the T1 class their own with a fine 1-2 finish. We simply could not have wished for a better outcome in what was a really tough event with a high attrition rate!”
The weekend-long, three-day battle between the Red-Lined REVO T1+ crews was one of the highlights of the rally.
Father-and-son pairing Johan and Sean van Staden, driving the KEC Racing entry, fought throughout the event with the Penta Motor Group duo of Philip Botha and Andries Mynhardt.
Botha and Mynhardt led the way on Friday, but the van Stadens moved ahead during Saturday and Sunday to secure a stellar sixth place overall, finishing ahead of several more highly fancied factory teams.
Botha and Mynhardt eventually finished second in class, just two minutes behind, while also securing an impressive eighth place overall.
Rally-raid rookies Abri and Iaan Olivier continued to impress, improving with every outing as they brought their VAPS HCV Rally-Raid REVO T1+ home in third place in class. The result earned the pair their first national championship podium.
Hot on their heels were teammates Peet Victor and Van Zyl Jonk in their Red-Lined T1 VK50.
Delighted by a dominant class victory, the crew led from start to finish to secure back-to-back wins and strengthen their position at the top of the T1 class standings.
Newcomers Nielen Marx and Rikus Hattingh completed a brilliant weekend by finishing second in the T1 class, sealing a Red-Lined VK50 1-2 for the Kyalami-based manufacturer.
“As tough and demanding as the GR Stella 1000 Marathon was, it was a huge success for Red-Lined Motorsport,” Terence Marsh concluded.
“Dominating both classes as we did is a huge feather in our cap, and we salute and thank every member of our extensive team, our partners, suppliers and, of course, all our loyal fans.”
Red-Lined Motorsport will next travel to the Garden Route for the third round of the South African Rally Raid Championship, the Outeniqua 400, which takes place on 28 and 29 August.
“This Stella result may prove a hard act to follow, but we will certainly be out to do it again, as the team thoroughly enjoyed all the champagne and silverware!”
Red-Lined Motorsport competes with premium strategic partners Penta Motor Group, VAPS HCV, BFGoodrich, Motul, Dragon Energy, MFC, OMP, Ingco South Africa and ExpandaSign.
Source: Red-Lined Motorsport, via Motorsport Media
