Red-Lined Motorsport teams up with former local rally champion Conrad Rautenbach

The Red-Lined Motorsport Adventures group will partner with former World Rally Championship driver and Dakar Rookie of the Year, Conrad Rautenbach for this year’s South African Cross Country Championship. Red-Lined’s team boss Terence Marsh made the announcement this week.

A veteran of 56 WRC rallies, Zimbabwean Rautenbach made his Junior World Rally Championship debut at the 2004 Monte Carlo event. He was a regular JWRC podium finisher over the following seasons. He also won the 2007 African Rally Championship, before stepping up for two seasons of top class WRC, where he racked up several top-ten finishes in 2008 and 2009.

Conrad then won the 2010 South African Rally Championship and added a second African title in 2011. He later drove with Toyota in the South African Cross Country series, winning the 2016 Gold 400. Rautenbach delivered one of the best Dakar debut performances in recent years with ninth overall and Rookie of the Year in 2017. He returned to Dakar in 2020 and came home fourth in the prototype PH Zephyr Light Car.

Now Rautenbach will return to the wheel of a Red-Lined Nissan Navara for the opening round of the South African Cross Country Series. He will also work on the development of the all-new Red-Lined Revo special vehicle, and drive it in its first local appearance once the team is satisfied with his race readiness later in the season.

“I am hugely excited to partner with the Red-Lined family and I cannot wait to see where this adventure takes us,” Conrad said. “It was special to meet all the team. I have raced with some of the finest in the world over the years and according to what I have seen so far, I am partnering with a team that’s right up there with the best. They are a dedicated group of professionals who know exactly what we need to do. Best of all is that there is such a cool family atmosphere at Red-Lined”, he added. Rautenbach will have a new co-driver in South African Riaan Greyling.

“We are looking forward to taking everything to the next level and working with Conrad,” Marsh said. “This year is all about us evolving both as a team and a business as we develop our new car and we cannot wait for the adventure and the results that will follow. We tested with Conrad last week and he was most impressive for someone who hadn’t driven for a year”.

For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.