Ford aims for glory in off-road racing

The 2022 SA Cross Country Series is set to be even more thrilling for the NWM Ford Castrol Team with the introduction of a new FIA T1+ class as the premier category, accompanied by a new name for the series: the SA Rally-Raid Championship (SARRC).

2021 saw the Ford team achieve two wins and finish second overall behind Toyota in the debut season for the all-new EcoBoost V6-powered FIA-class Ford Ranger. The team is using an extensively revised and upgraded T1+ Ranger in the new class.

Built locally by Neil Woolridge Motorsport (NWM), it’s bigger, wider and bolder than ever. It complies with the new T1+ regulations that were introduced for the 2022 Dakar Rally, which now form part of the FIA World Rally-Raid championship.

There are no plans to race these Rangers overseas, however. There will be two Fords competing in the 2022 SA Rally-Raid season: one piloted by Lance Woolridge with navigator Elvéne Vonk, and the other by Gareth Woolridge with Boyd Dreyer.

Ford has dropped the black development team of Baphumze Rubuluza and navigator Fanifani Meyiwa, which competed in 2021 in another Ford Ranger.

“It was a great initiative to bolster participation in local motorsport from a wider audience, and the crew gained fantastic experience in cross-country racing while attracting a broader range of fans and spectators to this exciting sport,” said Neil Woolridge, team principal of the NWM Ford Castrol Team.

“Unfortunately the ongoing global chip shortage has had a significant affect on vehicle sales, resulting in budget cuts across the board. Hence we are not able to continue with this project in 2022."

SA cross-country racing, or rally-raid as it is commonly known overseas, is one of the most competitive and professional domestic championships in the world, with SA teams producing exceptional vehicles that dominate the local series as well as international racing in this category, said Woolridge.

“The T1+ category was introduced for the 2022 Dakar Rally to level the playing field between the two-wheel drive and four-wheel drive vehicles, standardising the larger 37-inch tyres and longer-travel suspension that had given the lighter 2WD vehicles a major advantage in recent years." 

“As our championship is inextricably linked with global competition, it’s a natural evolution for us to progress to the T1+ rules in SA. Under the new T1+ regulations the minimum vehicle weight is now pegged at 2,000kg, an increase of 150kg compared to the previous vehicles. The twin-turbocharged 3.5l V6 EcoBoost engine remains unchanged, with maximum outputs of 300kW and 600Nm.

In line with the new international rally-raid rules and in the interests of safety, top speed is now electronically limited to 170km/h, instead of the 180km/h restriction that applied previously.

“The first race of the 2022 South African Rally-Raid championship is the Mpumalanga 400, which takes place in Dullstroom on March 25 and 26.