Latest news with #GarethWoolridge
News24
03-07-2025
- Automotive
- News24
Team Ford NWM draws first blood in South African Rally Raid
Gareth Woolridge and Boyd Dreyer take victory and early championship lead. Saood Variawa and Francois Cazalet place second for Toyota and achieve their highest SARRC finish to date. The next round of the SARRC is in Parys from 15-16 August. With an even shorter race calendar compared to previous years, getting the 2025 South African Rally-Raid Championship (SARRC) season off to a good start was imperative. That's exactly what the Castrol NWM Ford managed to do at this year's season opener in Bronkhorstspruit, with Gareth Woolridge and Boyd Dreyer securing a commanding victory and taking the early championship lead. The team's three-car lineup, now sporting a new white livery with Castrol branding (in place of the familiar blue), showcased exceptional speed with the NWM Evo Plus relishing the fast, dusty conditions. Gareth and Boyd entered the final stage with an 11-second advantage over their Toyota rivals, Saood Variawa and Francois Cazalet, but they could not rest on their laurels. They did the opposite and grew the lead by nearly three minutes to claim top honours. Quickpic 'Crossing the finish line in first place at the first event of the year is fantastic', said Gareth Woolridge. 'It's nice to get an edge over the competition early on. We were down a bit in position, but I knew that the vehicle had the pace, and if we kept doing more of the same, we would have the pace. We really pushed hard from start to finish, and the car was indestructible! This result is fantastic for the team, and hopefully, this win sets the tone for the rest of the season.' Adding to the team's impressive showing, Lance Woolridge made an unexpected but impactful return to SARRC competition, stepping in for the injured Wors Prinsloo. Alongside co-driver Andre Vermeulen, they kept a watchful brief on the leading pack and were ready to pounce on any mistakes in front. They crossed the line in fifth place, earning valuable points for the team while Prinsloo gets ready to return to action. Brazilian and South American rally-raid champions Marcos Baumgart and Kleber Cincea gave the team an international flavour. They brought their extensive experience to the South African circuit. The duo, multiple Brazilian Cross Country Championship title holders and 2019 South American champions, achieved a steady drive to finish seventh overall as they adapted to the local demands. 'What an incredible way to start the season,' said team principal Neil Woolridge. 'I'm immensely proud of the entire team; their dedication and hard work over the off-season are really paying off. The improvements we've made to the vehicle were clearly visible out there, and it performed flawlessly across some very tough terrain. A huge thank you to every team member and our valued partners and sponsors for their unwavering support. While this result is exactly what we hoped for, there are still valuable lessons to take from the weekend as we push to be even stronger for the rest of the championship,' said Neil Woolridge. While the Castrol NWM Ford Team celebrated a dominant victory, Toyota Gazoo Racing South Africa (TGRSA) also commenced their 2025 SARRC campaign with a podium finish. Saood Variawa and co-driver Francois Cazalet secured an impressive second place overall at the Renault KEC 400 event, marking their highest SARRC finish to date. They completed the event in 6 hours, 10 minutes, and 02 seconds, precisely 2 minutes 38 seconds behind the winning Ford NWM duo. Despite facing challenges such as two punctures and a two-minute penalty, Variawa was satisfied with the result. 'Still, it's a podium finish, my best so far in the championship, and I'm really happy with the team, the car and our performance.' Other TGRSA crews, like Guy Botterill and Oriol Mena, faced mechanical trouble, while João Ferreira and Filipe Palmeiro had an early retirement after landing in a river, fortunately without injury. With this strong start, the Castrol NWM Ford Team is well-positioned for what is anticipated to be a thrilling 2025 SARRC campaign. Both teams will now prepare for the next round in Parys, scheduled for 15-16 August.
The Citizen
16-05-2025
- Automotive
- The Citizen
Evo Plus Ford Ranger out to challenge Gazoo Racing Toyota Hilux
All systems go for improved racing bakkie at South African Safari Rally based at Sun City. The battle between the Ford Ranger and Toyota Hilux goes beyond showroom floors and the roads of South Africa. The two marques also go head-to-head in serious competition off the road in global rally-raid events. Using almost 30 years of competition and design experience in the rally-raid world, coupled with cutting-edge technology and a fresh new look, Neil Woolridge Motorsport (NWM) introduced its new NWM Evo Plus Ford Ranger to the market, for sale and rental worldwide. Two NWM Evo Plus Ford Rangers will debut at the third round of the World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC), the South African Safari Rally, which will take place in NWM's home country and backyard from 18 to 24 May 2025. Brazilian Marcos Baumgart, who makes a return to the NWM paddock after spending some years driving a mix of the Toyota and Prodrive Hunter T1+ vehicles, drives the first car. ALSO READ: Wraps come off Ford's 2025 Rally Raid Series challenger Woolridge pilots second car 2023 South African Rally-Raid champion Gareth Woolridge pilots the second vehicle. Team partners and vehicle livery for this event will be launched in the week leading up to the event, which will be based at the Sun City Resort in the North-West Province. In rally-raid, longevity of performance is key. NWM has invested heavily into ensuring the maximum performance from the all-new design. All this while functionality, reliability and affordability remain top considerations on the Ford Ranger. 'Two major points we identified for improvement on our current NWM Ford Ranger was firstly our suspension geometry from a performance point of view. And secondly our differentials from a reliability point of view', said Neil Woolridge, NWM director. 'In this, we took a step back to analyse exactly where we want to improve, what type of car we want to offer to the market, and how we can ensure the Ford Ranger keeps winning races and championships around the world. ALSO READ: The workings of a Rally-Raid team: Inside Ford-backed NWM Big changes under the skin 'While the NWM Evo Plus Ford Ranger carries over a lot of the race-proven technology and components from its predecessor, it does boast a completely new chassis. From the outside, other than the widened and redesigned side sills, the everyday fan won't notice much of a difference with the EVO Plus Ford Ranger at first glance, but under that carbon skin, it is all changed,' Woolridge explains. 'We have done just over 2 000km of testing and development thus far and acknowledge we may not have the ultimate set up for every terrain, but we have a vehicle that will take anything you throw at it,' adds Gareth Woolridge, NWM's technical head. The tried and tested Ford 3.5-litre V6 EcoBoost twin-turbocharged petrol engine carries over into the NWM Evo Plus Ford Ranger. Along with the proven SADEV SC924 Evo gearbox, the pairing moves back a further 150mm within the newly designed chassis. This allows for an even better centre of gravity and a near-perfect weight distribution within the car. Rally-ready Ford Ranger The NWM Ford Ranger can also use a Ford 5.0-litre V8 Coyote naturally-aspirated engine. It is best suited for customers who prefer the ease of maintenance of the simpler powertrain system. As well as those looking to run the vehicle in domestic championships. 'We can proudly offer a top-level vehicle that will be competitive anywhere in the world. It is made with the best-quality products in the world. At a far more affordable price than our competitors,' says Neil Woolridge. 'These days, with motorsport getting more and more expensive, we really set out to make sure that our car has the highest level of build quality, reliability and performance for the driver that wants to win races or just go out and have fun. Yet the NWM Evo Plus Ford Ranger is still available at a price that our competitors producing rally-raid cars in other countries simply cannot match, and that's a big feather in our cap.'
The Citizen
25-04-2025
- Automotive
- The Citizen
Wraps come off of Ford's 2025 Rally Raid Series challenger
A total of three vehicles will be fielded come the newly scheduled season opener on 27 and 28 June. Return of sponsor Castrol has seen the NWM-made Ranger adopting a retro livery for 2025. Images: Charl Bosch Ford Motor Company Southern Africa has resumed its almost three decade long partnership with Neil Woolridge Motorsport (NWM) with the unveiling of its latest Ranger ahead of its this year's South African Rally Raid series. Supposed to have started in March with the Vryheid 400 in KwaZulu-Natal, an event called off due to persistent bad weather, the prolonged delay to the season opener, now set to be round two at Thabazimbi at the end of June, has netted the NWM team additional days testing to be worry-free before the 2025 season kicks-off. New looks Debuting a retro Castrol livery as part of its renewed sponsorship with the lubricant brand after last year competing with Shell backing, the officially titled Castrol NWM Ford team will race three vehicles, two in the premier FIA T1+ Ultimate class, and one in the second-tier T1+ Ultimate division that conforms to South African and not FIA specifications. ALSO READ: The workings of a Rally-Raid team: Inside Ford-backed NWM Shown at the Blue Oval's Technical Training Centre outside its Silverton factory in Pretoria on Thursday (24 April), the reveal involved the latter class vehicle that mainly differs from the FIA specification Ranger by using a different engine management system. New faces In effect, this makes local models ineligible for the competing in the Dakar Rally, with the opposite being applicable to the pair of FIA T1+ models which will again once be piloted this year by former champions Gareth Woolridge and Boyd Dreyer, and multiple Brazilian cross country series champions, Marcos Baumgart and Kleber Cincea. New to the NWM stable though are Wors Prinsloo and co-driver Andre Vermeulen, who will drive the local specification Ranger T1+. 'Motorsport is a process of continuous evolution, and we have taken the lessons from last year and improved the package from front to back. 'The team has done a lot of work during the off-season to refine and enhance the cars, making them more robust and more capable,' team owner and multiple off-road champion, Neil Woolridge, said. Ready for battle As before, both FIA and local spec Ranger T1+ will derive motivation from the 3.5-litre twin-turbo EcoBoost V6 engine, mated to a Sadev-sourced six-speed sequential gearbox. Build and developed at NWM's workshop in Pietermaritzburg, the three-car team will again face-off against arch rivals, Toyota Gazoo Racing South Africa, and the semi-works supported Hilux Rally Raid outfit come the season opener on 27 and 28 June. 'We are confident that the team will be in a position to fight for race wins and the championship once again this year,' Woolridge concluded. As with previous models, the T1+ is only made in left-hand-drive as a way of selling it to other markets. Aside from its sponsorship with Castrol, who has been a NWM backer for years until the short-lived deal inking with Shell last year, the 2025 season will also see bp come on-board as fuel supplier. Associate sponsors include Vedacit, Ford Credit, Mastercraft, Sparco, Brembo, NTN, Veldskoen and Tiger Wheel & Tyre. Revised calendar With it being unknown as to whether Vryheid 400 will be rescheduled for later in the year, the rest of the Rally Raid calendar for 2025 is as follows; Rd 2: Thabazimbi – 27/28 June Rd 3 and 4: Parys – 15/16 August Rd 5: Louvain Farm – 19/20 September Rd 6: Legends Adventure Farm – 3/4 October Rd 7: Sun City – 8/9 November NOW READ: Stranglehold broken as Ford takes 2023 Rally-Raid title
