For many, the Ford badge holds many memories of dad behind the wheel of his Ranger bakkie, laughing as he ploughs through yet another mud hole, one he could’ve easily just gone around, but little Timmy shouted, “again, again!”. So dad drove through every mud hole he could find, because he wanted to see Timmy happy, meanwhile, his Ford Ranger, without a care in the world, does it again and again…
That’s precisely what the relationship between NWM (Niel Woolridge Motorsport) and Ford South Africa feels like. Ford, a company so deeply rooted in South Africa that every generation shares a Ford memory and NWM, with thirty years of Rally Raid car building experience behind them and decades of success behind the wheel of those same Fords, is a pairing better than peanut butter and jam itself!
Today, that relationship stands prouder than ever as Ford and NWM recently announced the resumption of their 30-year collaborative partnership and welcomed back long-lost friends. Castrol is returning as the title sponsor of the Castrol NWM Ford Rally-Raid team and piloting the 3.5-litre Twin Turbo V6 EcoBoost Ranger Ultimate is 2023 champions, Gareth Woolridge in the driver’s seat and Boyd Dreyer as navigator.
Together they will take on the FIA Ultimate/T1+ class in the South African Rally-Raid Championship (SARRC) along with Marcos Baumgart and Kleber Cincea, multiple Brazilian and South-American Rally-Raid champions in the second built NWM Ranger Ultimate with the third piloted by Wors Prinsloo and Andre Vermeulen, who will be competing in a class that looks a little bit different. Their class will be the Ultimate/T1+ class, a lot more affordable than the FIA-spec class, using Motec boost controllers in conjunction with the SARRC regulations from 2024, with the boost controllers being the only difference between the two premier classes.
FUELING THE SUCCESS
Joining this already stacked powerhouse is BP as the official fuel sponsor of the NWM team, Nokwanda Khumalo, General Manager, Mobility & Convenience at BP Southern Africa says: ‘We are delighted to be the official fuel sponsor for Neil Woolridge Motorsport with our most advanced performance fuels, BP Ultimate with ACTIVE Technology”.
The SARRC was set to get underway on the 14th of March in Vryheid, Kwa-Zulu Natal, but due to extremely bad weather conditions, the event was postponed, making teams anxiously wait for the next SARRC event, more than two months away on the 27th of June 2025 in Thabazimbi, Limpopo.
LAST WORD
If the optimism and energy at the Castrol NWM Ford Rally-Raid car launch were anything to go by, I fear for anyone who dares go up against this accomplished team. They seem to have built something they’re really proud of, something truly capable, along with years of experience and the backing of Ford South Africa, Castrol, BP, Sparco, Veldskoen, and so many more behind them, why wouldn’t they be all smiles and confidence?
Report by RUBEN VON STEEN | Images © FORD MOTORSPORT
