PARYS, South Africa, 12 November 2022 – The 2022 South African Rally-Raid Championship (SARRC) drew to an in depth in dramatic vogue this weekend in extraordinarily troublesome situations, however the (Neil Woolridge Motorsport) NWM Ford Castrol Team ended its season on a excessive as Gareth Woolridge and Boyd Dreyer (#277) claimed their first general race win in the mighty EcoBoost V6 powered FIA T1+ Ford Ranger.
Heavy rain main as much as and all through the race weekend resulted in treacherously muddy situations over the whole deliberate race route across the Free State city of Parys. The rivals had been scheduled to finish 700km over the 2 separate race occasions on Friday and Saturday, however the organisers needed to considerably shorten the route on each days because the situations deteriorated, ensuing in a mere 180km of aggressive motion being accomplished.
NWM Ford Castrol Team efficiency
Gareth and Boyd navigated via the slippery and unpredictable farm roads to complete sixth general on Friday. They went on to make the Saturday race all their very own, dominating the quick 12km qualifying dash and producing a flawless drive to file their first general premier class victory.
“We are thrilled with the win, as Boyd and I have been trying to secure our first win for at least 10 years,” Gareth mentioned. “I’m actually glad to lastly pull it collectively in probably the most troublesome situations we’ve ever raced in.
“It has been a difficult year, with some small technical issues that have let us down, despite Boyd and I having one of our cleanest seasons yet,” Gareth added. “We’ve taken big strides forward with our T1+ Ranger, as we proved at the previous event and this weekend in Parys. So for next year, I think we’re in good shape for even bigger and better things.”
Team-mates Lance Woolridge and Elvéne Vonk (#234) led the NWM Ford Castrol crew’s cost on Friday, ending fifth general. After setting the fourth-fastest time for Saturday’s qualifying loop, simply 14 seconds off the lead Ranger, it regarded set to be an exhilarating battle for the ultimate podium of this 12 months’s championship.
Touch situations
However, they had been amongst a number of of the highest crews who bought caught round midway via the race loop. Thanks to the help of the #TeamHilux crew of Eben Basson and Leander Pienaar, Lance and Elvéne had been capable of extricate their stricken Ranger from the quagmire – and had been rewarded for his or her never-say-die angle by coming dwelling fifth in Class FIA T1+ and 14th general.
“I didn’t think the conditions could get worse than yesterday, but it was manic out there today,” Lance mentioned. “It was so slippery that we needed to begin braking from 600 to 700 metres away from a flip and then simply tiptoe across the nook.
“We got stuck in a ploughed field where the two Toyotas ahead of us had already gone through, and when I got out the car I sank right down to my knees in the mud,” he added. “Elvéne and I didn’t want to slow the top teams down so we let them all past, then Eben and Leander, who had won their class championship on Friday, stopped and pulled us out, and we had a clean run to the end.”
Although they endured a tricky season with a number of non-finishes, Lance is upbeat concerning the NWM Ranger’s growth and progress. “We’ve worked really hard throughout the year and have had massive performance gains thanks to the extensive development we’ve done with our new T1+ Ranger. The results in the past two events and Gareth’s win today show that it has all worked, and I am exceptionally proud of the team,” he mentioned. “Based on where we ended this season, I hope we can pick it up from here for next year.”
For NWM crew principal Neil Woolridge it was a improbable technique to finish this 12 months’s championship, regardless of the atrocious situations. “It’s been an unbelievable weekend,” he mentioned. “I regarded on the climate earlier than we left Pietermaritzburg and knew it was going to be a problem, however no one knew it was going to be this troublesome.
“I am very proud and happy to see both our Rangers finish in these extremely difficult conditions, where so many of our competitors ran into trouble. We didn’t have a single issue with our cars over the entire weekend which is so rewarding, and to take the win today makes it very special for the whole team,” he mentioned. “We’ve spent many long hours, days, weeks and months testing and developing our brand new T1+ Ranger this year, and finally seeing it all come together is amazing. It’s a testament to the hard work and dedication of our NWM team, and also to the support from our partners and sponsors, especially Ford and Castrol.”
Posted by Ford South Africa on Quicpic News
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