Red-Lined Motorsport revealed last Thursday the REVO T1+, an upgraded version of the REVO T1 truck that intends to be used in rally raid competition including the South African Rally-Raid Championship and Dakar Rally.
The REVO was introduced in 2021 and stands out from Red-Lined’s other vehicles as it is not based on an existing production pickup truck; by comparison, the team’s VK50 and VK56 T1s, which saw action at the 2023 Dakar Rally, are modelled after the Nissan Navara.
As the name suggests, the T1+ is more powerful than its predecessor. It features a 5.6-litre normally aspirated V8 engine, which is also utilised on the VK56.
The T1+ began its testing phase earlier this week with Chris Visser, a two-time South African Rally-Raid Champion. Visser had joined Red-Lined in 2022 as the T1’s main driver before helping to develop the T1+. When asked about Visser’s thoughts on the T1+, Red-Lined CEO Terence Marsh quipped the driver was “[h]appy as a pig in shit!!”
Aliyyah Koloc is also set to race the T1+ in select starts during the 2023 SARRC season. Koloc made her Dakar début in the T3 category, but told The Checkered Flag prior to the Rally that she hopes to race in T1 in the future.
Red-Lined fielded three VK50s for Dave Klaassen, Ronald van Loon, and Daniel Schröder at the 2023 Dakar Rally, as well as a VK56 for Thomas Bell. Bell’s team is also preparing the T1+ for Koloc’s SARRC entries.
The REVO T1+ intends to join a growing list of vehicles in the subcategory, which is currently occupied by the Toyota Hilux and Prodrive Hunter. The Ford Ranger T1+, built by fellow South African outfit Neil Woolridge Motorsport and M-Sport, is planning to race for the first time at the 2024 Dakar Rally. The Toyota Hilux also has South African roots with the Hilux DKR T1+, built by Hallspeed and has won the last two Dakar Rallies, and the less sophisticated TreasuryONE/WCT Engineering Hilux T1+ for privateers that intends to race Dakar in 2024.
