PIETERMARITZBURG, South Africa, 5 May 2023: The 2023 South African Rally Raid Championship (SARRC) was anticipated to start out with a bang, and the opening spherical on the Nkomazi 400 actually didn’t disappoint. The fiercely aggressive sequence now heads to the Sugarbelt 400 in Eston, Kwazulu-Natal, for Round 2 on 12 and 13 May 2023 the place the battles will intensify.
Sugarbelt 400 targets
For the Neil Woolridge Motorsport (NWM) Ford Castrol Team, the second spherical will likely be a vital alternative to take advantage of the numerous upgrades it has launched on its class FIA T1+ EcoBoost V6-powered Ford Ranger, which is constructed at NWM’s facility simply north of the race venue, in Pietermaritzburg.
Leading as much as the Sugarbelt 400, NWM launched into week-long in-depth testing and improvement program on the T1+ Ranger in Morocco with its international rally-raid companion, M-Sport. “Our intensified testing program in conjunction with M-Sport started straight after the Desert Race last year, and has allowed us to accelerate the development of our T1+ Ranger well beyond what we could achieve on our own in South Africa,” says NWM crew principal Neil Woolridge.
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“At this stage we don’t have a large customer base of T1+ vehicles competing around the world like some of our rivals do, so all of the information gleaned from these tests is invaluable in ramping up our development of the vehicle to ensure we extract the best possible performance and durability. It was clear at this year’s opening SARRC race that we have the package to challenge for top results, and we are looking forward to making the most of all the hard work put into our T1+ Ranger at Eston, and for the rest of the season.”
Neil Woolridge Motorsport (NWM) Ford Castrol Team
Gareth Woolridge and Boyd Dreyer (#277) are the top-placed NWM Ford Castrol crew after ending second on the Nkomazi 400. The dynamic younger crew scored their first total championship win on the remaining spherical of 2022, and they’re keen so as to add extra silverware to the trophy assortment.
Team-mates Lance Woolridge and Kenny Gilbert (#234) had their first outing collectively on the 2023 season-opener within the second NWM T1+ Ranger. They posted the second-fastest time in the course of the qualifying dash – regardless of it being motorbike racer Gilbert’s first time within the navigator’s seat. Unfortunately, a broken hydraulic clutch pipe halted their progress on the primary race loop and compelled them to retire, so their goal for the Sugarbelt 400 will likely be to safe most factors to kickstart their 2023 championship problem.
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On the privateer entrance, the NWM-supported crew of Wors Prinsloo and Andre Vermeulen (#241) stunned most of the prime opponents by ending ninth total within the T1+ class, and seventh amongst the four-wheel drive automobiles of their first nationwide race with the T1+ NWM Ford Ranger. Having raced the Class T NWM Ranger V8 beforehand, the crew is on a quick studying curve attending to grips with the distinctive efficiency of their new T1+ Ranger, and studying simply how laborious they will push it within the roughest terrain – and they’re positive to be a daily function within the prime 10 outcomes.
The Sugarbelt 400 is well-known for its spectacular surroundings, set within the mountains and plush inexperienced sugarcane plantations surrounding Eston. The occasion is predicated on the Beaumont Eston Farmer’s Club which serves because the race headquarters, designated service park and start-finish.
The motion commences on Friday 12 May at 12:30 with the quick 52km Pirelli Qualifying Race, which determines the beginning order for the primary race on Saturday. Adding some strategic pondering to the combo, the highest 10 groups will draw their beginning positions from slowest to quickest, which all the time provides a touch of intrigue.
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On Saturday, the crews will full two loops of 160km every, beginning at 08:00 and separated by a obligatory 30-minute service cease. Spectators have entry to quite a few viewing factors positioned alongside the path to see the automobiles in motion, together with free entry to the service park.
Fans also can comply with all of the motion and observe the place of the crews all through every of the 2023 season’s seven races utilizing the RallySecure app, which may be downloaded freed from cost for iOS and Android gadgets from the related app shops.
Published by Ford South Africa on Quickpic
For extra information in regards to the 2023 South African Rally Raid Championship (SARRC), comply with our motorsport web page.
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