Red Dust Revival 2025

The Red Dust Revival is fast becoming an iconic event on the Australian historic motor racing calendar. Held every four years since 2014, the Red Dust Revival celebrates the birth of motor racing in Western Australia which took place on Lake Perkolilli, North East of Kalgoorlie.

Lake Perkolilli is described as “a huge, roughly circular area of clay. At its edge most unaccountably all vegetation sharply ends. The land becomes dead. The surface of the clay is utterly flat, glass-like, smooth like a mirror. Painfully it reflects the glare of the sun, so that the beholder blinks from its sheen” (Graves, 1937). In other words, the perfect racing circuit.

Motor Racing at Lake Perkolilli ceased at the outbreak of World War 2 and never quite returned as Caversham Air Field near Perth was handed over to the motor racing fraternity when the war ended. A special attraction to the Red Dust Revival is that it includes both cars and motorcycles. Dan has been to all three Revivals, as both a spectator and competitor. This year he’s going back on a motorcycle.

In 2014 and 2018, Dan took his 1914 Ford Model T Roadster and drove to and from Kalgoorlie to the event, ostensibly as a spectator car. In 2022 he returned with a 1921 Model T race car that was a lot of fun but quite underpowered and lacked decent stopping power. Essentially, the car took half a lap to build up its top speed of 100 kmh, and another half a lap to stop it. The car looked for all the world to be a genuine Le Mans race car and was swept upon by vintage race enthusiasts, one of whom made him an offer he couldn't refuse. Rather than build another car, Dan has chosen to return to Perko with a vintage, Ariel 500 motorcycle.

It should be noted, to be eligible to run at Perko, cars and motorcycles must be pre-WW2. Dan’s Ariel started out life as a 1939 VB Deluxe. These machines were released with a big old side-valve engine which was primarily designed for lugging around a side-car, not a racing motorcycle by any stretch of the imagination - but then nor was the Model T. It’s what we do to these machines that elevates them to competition machinery. To this end, the old side valve engine has been relegated to a place under Dan’s bench and a more sporty, 500 OHV Red Hunter engine has been substituted.

Dan has hinted there’s a few modifications in the engine that will improve its performance but he is remaining tight-lipped as to what’s taken place in there. We will keep you updated on Dan’s quest for Perko but, for now, here’s a few photographs of the Ariel’s journey from barn-find, Deluxe to a track-ready, fire-breathing monster.