The 2024 South African Rally-Raid Championship (SARRC) has delivered intense, action-packed racing this year, and the finale was no exception. Held recently at Legends Adventure Park, east of Pretoria, the Renault KEC 400 saw the Neil Woolridge Motorsport (NWM) Ford Rally-Raid Team secure its third podium finish of the season.
Lance Woolridge and Kenny Gilbert, driving the EcoBoost V6-powered NWM Ford Ranger Ultimate (T1+), clinched third place after a thrilling, hard-fought contest with the Toyota teams of Henk Lategan/Brett Cummings and Fouche and Bertus Blignaut, who finished in first and second, respectively.
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It was a challenging weekend for outgoing Production Vehicle champions Gareth Woolridge and Boyd Dreyer. Technical issues during Friday’s opening race loop disrupted their run and temporarily forced them to retire. However, they returned strong on Saturday, posting the fastest time on the first 175km loop of the day. Despite their efforts, they had to settle for ninth place in the Ultimate class.
The race weekend kicked off with a short, high-stakes 20km qualifying sprint on Friday morning. Lance and Kenny secured the fourth-fastest time, with Gareth and Boyd just three seconds behind in sixth. On Friday afternoon’s first 85km race loop, Lance and Kenny had a solid run but faced a setback when a bonnet latch came loose after a jump, costing them valuable time for repairs. Despite this, they managed to climb into third position by the end of the day.
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Unfortunately, Gareth and Boyd’s challenge came to an abrupt halt just 9.7km into Loop 1. The team worked through the night to repair their vehicle, and on Saturday, Gareth and Boyd demonstrated their speed by recording the fastest time in the gruelling Loop 2, which placed them in ninth despite a 10-hour penalty for missing Friday’s stage.
The competition at the front was fierce, with Lance and Kenny’s NWM Ford Ranger in close contention with the Toyota crews. The battle for victory saw positions exchanged repeatedly throughout the day, with Lance and Kenny finishing just four seconds behind Lategan/Cummings in Loop 2. After 450km of intense racing, the top three were separated by a mere 43 seconds, making this one of the tightest finishes in recent SARRC history.
Reflecting on the weekend, Lance Woolridge said, “Ending the season with a third podium finish, alongside our previous results at the Safari 1000 and Vaal 400, is a fantastic achievement. The car performed brilliantly, except for the minor issue with the bonnet latch. The close battle between the top three underscores the competitiveness of the championship, and we’re excited for what next year holds.”
Gareth Woolridge added, “This season has been challenging as we aimed to defend our titles. Despite the setbacks, our pace on Saturday morning proved we can compete for wins in a highly competitive field. It was a tough race, but we’re pleased with our comeback.”
Team principal Neil Woolridge praised the team’s resilience, saying, “It’s been a challenging year with narrow misses for the top spots. Although small issues have hampered our efforts, we’ve remained competitive and made significant improvements to the car. The support from our sponsors has been outstanding, and we’re already planning upgrades to ensure we’re ready to contend in 2025.”
Colin Windell for Colin-on-Cars in association with
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