Coertse grabs Dullstroom honours

Weather, infringements and off-road excursions meant plenty of surprises in the two final rallies of the South African National series – two day, two rallies and changes in the lead right up to the finish but it was a huge event for the Mazda 2 pairing of Chris Coertse and Greg Godrich who emerged overall winners on both days.

Friday:

What should have been a straight fight in the dust on the fast special stages around the trout-rich town of Dullstroom in Mpumalanga, turned into a fight for surival for many of crews contesting the final two rounds of the 2023 South African National Rally Championship.

Clear skies and bright sunshine greeted competitors at the start of the TRACN4 Rally and all eyes were on the expected tussle between the NRC 1 Rally Technic Mazda 2 of Chris Coertse and Greg Godrich and the NRC 2 Just Tools Volkswagen Golf crewed by Benjamin Habig and Barry White – this fight for second overall in the series with the actual champion having been crowned at the previous event.

“It would be nice to claim that second place, but our goal the whole season has been to win the class,” said White.

It all went wrong for them shortly after the start of first special stage when the Polo lost drive and could not be recovered until all the cars had passed, forcing their retirement for the day and leaving the way open for the Maza duo to forge ahead.

However, the big mover of the morning was the Salom Toyota Auris of Theuns Joubert and Schalk van Heerden who stormed through the opening stage to win by 10 seconds from Coertse/Godrich with newly-crowned SA Champions JJ Potgieter and Tommy du Toit in the NTT Toyota Delmas Hyundai R4 visibly taking things easier than their normal all-out charge.

Potgieter/Du Toit

“I was taking it easier,” said Potgieter, “but we were also battling with a misfire that kept us off the pace.”

Stage 2 was a blinder for Mandla Mdakane and Kes Naidoo in their Toyota Gazoo Racing Starlet and they howled through taking 10 seconds from Joubert/Van Heerden and 14 seconds from the Mazda – just reward, perhaps for a troubled season that saw the Starlet retire from several events.

However, the pair made an error during the clock-in procedure at the start of the stage and were then penalised by four minutes, dropping them to the back of the field and this was compounded at the end of the day when and engine problem meant they could not get the car back to the parc ferme.

By the end of Stage 3 Joubert and Van Heerden had extended their lead to 17 seconds over the Mazda with Potgieter/Du Toit now slotted into third place ahead of Gerald Klopper and Etienne Lourens (GK Racing Toyota Auris) fourth overall and the leading NRC 2 contender ahead of Gustav Potgieter/Armand du Toit (Atlas Oil Ford Fiesta R2).

Stage 4 saw much o the same but with Mdakane trying to eat up as much of his deficit as possible and racking up third quickest time  over the 12, 6 kilometres of Safcol Highway 2 – this pulling them up to seventh overall.

Then, the weather intervened and a sudden, short rain and lightning storm descended with the cars in Stage 5 where everything changed as the gravel road turned into an ice-rink, setting off a chain of events started by Gerald Klopper who lost a wheel and veered off into a tree, leaving the car in a vulnerable position.

With Lourens waving oncoming competitors to slow down, Gustav Potgieter stopped on the stage (after having been stuck in the mud for more than minute earlier) without realising George Smallberger/Shaun Visser (Shield Q20 Volkswagen Polo) had closed right up.

“I saw him stopped on the stage and tried to go around but with the mud and the slide we ended up beached on the edge of the road and lost plenty of time trying to get free.” Said Smallberger.

Joubert/Van Heerden

But, it was up front where the real drama happened as Theuns Joubert suffered a front left tyre puncture and with 10 kilometres of stage left, decided to continue. The delaminating tyre then dmaged the front end of the car but they made it to the flying finish, losing 58 seconds in the process.

This giffted Coertse a 35 second lead overall, cemented by the fact the Clerk-of-the-Course then cancelled the final stage of the day for safety reasons.

So, Coertse/Godrich took top step of the podium from Joubert/Van Heerden and Potgieter/Du Toit with Mdakane/Naidoo fourth on the road but excluded because of the engine issue on the way to the overnight parc ferme.

Thus, Gustav Potgieter finish fourth ahead of Lynton Swatton and Tommy Coetzee (RBS Plumbing Toyota RunX).

Saturday:

Overnight the weather cleared and Saturday dawned bright and clear with Joubert/Van Heerden following the TRAC N$ catchline for the event of ‘going all out’ and they opened proceedings – much of which involved the previous day’s stages in reverse – with an eight second advantage over Potgieter/Du Toit and taking 29 seconds from Coertse/Godrich.

Back in the running, Habig and White ran a conservative fifth quickest on the stage a second behind Gustav Potgieter and five ahead of the Johan Strauss/Elzaan van der Schyff Agri Online Subaru WRX that was forced to withdraw before the start of the Friday even with engine problems.

“It is still not properly sorted,” said Strauss “and there is a throttle problem. If I drive slowly there is some response but if I try to go quickly it does not respond.”

With the Hyundai now cleared of its misfire, JJ Potgieter decided it was time to get moving and raced through the second stage two seconds to the good over Joubert with Coertse maintaining an edge over Habig who headed the NRC 2 class.

The AR Panelbeaters Ford Escort Cosworth of Anton Raaths and Marie Ducasse had a good run to notch up fifth place on the road.

The rally then looked as if it was settling into a pattern with Joubert/Van Heerden taking the top honours on Stage 3 followed by Potgieter/Du Toit with Coertse and Habig in close attendance – Potgieter then upped the pace to take Stage 4 to set up the scene for the final stages by reducing Joubert’s lead to just 0,1 seconds after the former lost time in the stage due to a faulty oil temperature sensor caused the engine to go into limp mode.

Coertse was just 1min07 sec off the lead at this point.

Mdakane/Naidoo

However, this time it was not the weather to influence things – Car 0, which has the task of going through the stage ahead of the field to check the marshals are in place, arrowing is correct and no spectators are in dangerous places, had a mechanical issue. This is then followed by Car 00 half an hour before the first competitor enters the stage.

Stage 5, which was also being run as Stage 6, had to be cancelled to allow Car 00 to do the work of both lead vehicles.

This stage, a repeat of Stge 2 from Friday, featured a downhill run to a shallow water splash with a disconcerting bump on the exit and Habig – not having done the stage the previous day – came flying in, uymped, got hugely sideways, corrected and went up on two wheels.

He landed back on the road but minus a wheel and carried on to finish the stage. However, he transgressed regulations by driving on a public road on three wheels then replacing the wheel in the control area of Stage 6, resulting in his exclusion.

Stage 6, Lakenvlei, worked for Coertse who took 1,8 seconds off Joubert with Potgieter third quickest through the 27,4 kilometre section just ahead of Habig who would have been third overall at that point had it not been for the exclusion he was yet to hear about.

Habig/White

The final stage of the event and the season, Legends, saw Coertse again take the stage win, this time taking 11, 9 seconds off Joubert to end up as overall winner for the day and second overall in the National standings behind Gustav Potgieter who ended on the third step of the podium for the day and first car in the NRC 2 category.

JJ Potgieter finished fourth overall, ahead of Magriet Potgieter and Rikus Fourie (Ford Fiesta R2) and Bruce Swatton/Adrian du Plessis (RBS Plumbing Toyota Auris S2000).

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Suzuki's 5-door Jimny on the road

First shown as a teaser at The Festival of Motoring, the five-door Suzuki Jimny is now a reality and in dealerships around the country in GL and GLX specification with the option of a five-speed manual transmission orfour-speed auto – all with the same K15B 1,5-litre petrol engine up front.

"This is the first time in the 50-year history of the Suzuki Jimny we offer a five-door model. We did this to meet the unprecedented demand for this hardy off-roader from customers who, owing to family size or overlanding requirements, asked for a larger Jimny model," says Brendon Carpenter, Brand Marketing Manager of Suzuki Auto South Africa.

"From the outset, the brief to engineers was they had to keep the Jimny DNA intact. That included the short overhangs, ladder-frame chassis with solid axles and the ability to go anywhere and everywhere."

So, the engineers stretched the wheelbase of the three-door Jimny to 2 590 mm, allowing space for rear passenger doors and more room, but not so much as to compromise its off-road capabilities.

The overall length, measured from bumper to bumper, has increased by 340 mm to 3 820 mm, width is 1 645 mm and height 1 720 mm. Ground clearance remains 210 mm, while the approach, breakover and departure angles are 36 degrees, 24 degrees and 47 degrees respectively.

The ‘fiver’ gets the same upright grille, round headlamps, square edges and the fitment of the spare wheel to the side hinging rear door.

All five-door models also have 195/80 on/off road tyres on 15-inch alloy wheels. The spare wheel is also fitted with an alloy wheel.

Suzuki has transferred the design of the dashboard, seats and controls directly into the five-door model, and all South African versions have a 50:50 split rear bench, an additional power socket in the luggage compartment and a multi-functional steering wheel that is height adjustable.

The GLX specification adds leather cladding to the steering wheel and complements the Bluetooth hands-free phone and audio controls with additional buttons for cruise control.

The GLX also gets a bigger infotainment screen (from 7-inch on the GL to 9-inch on the GLX). All versions have Apple CarPlay and Android Auto in full colour and will show images from the reverse camera on the infotainment screen.

Power windows are standard on all passenger doors and the GLX models have automatic climate control as opposed to the GL's standard air-conditioning system.

For travellers, the two rear seats can fold individually or together, increasing the rear loading space from 211 litres to 332 litres. The cabin has 1 113 litres of space in total.

Anf, for the truly adventurous, all five-door models also have a design feature that allows the front seats to fold completely flat and integrate with the rear seats to offer two lay-flat beds.

The 1,5-litre engine delivers 75 kW at 6 000 r/min  and 130 Nm at 4 000 r/min. The power is delivered through a five speed manual transmission (available on the GL and GLX models) or a four-speed automatic transmission (GLX only) to the rear wheels under normal circumstances or all-four wheels when the transfer gearbox is engaged.

The Suzuki Jimny is fitted with a complete off-road system, including a transfer gearbox with 2H, 4H and 4 Low Range modes and has a new version of the AllGrip system, called AllGrip Pro. This system amplifies the capabilities of the four-wheel drive system with electronic assistance, such as selective braking on wheels with no traction that emulates a traditional differential lock. All five-door models further have Hill Descent Control, Hill Assist and Brake Assistance as standard.

All models have Electronic Stability Program (ESP), anti-lock brakes, side-impact beams in all doors and three-point seatbelts for all four seats. Both rear seats are equipped with ISOFIX child-seat anchors.

The Jimny in GL-specification has two crash bags and the GLX-models have six, including front-side bags and curtain bags that run the length of the cabin.

Colin Windell - proudly CHANGECARS

www.changecars.co.za

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Ford confident ahead of Parys clash

A 1-2 finish in the 1 000 km Botswana Desert Race in June has given the Ford Castrol Team a new level of confidence going into the double-header Parys 400 on August 18 and August 18.  

As rounds four and five of the extremely competitive South African Rally Raid Championship (SARRC) Gareth Woolrige and Boyd Dreyer (#277) took their EcoBoost V6-powered T1+ NWM Ford Ranger to the top step of the podium at the three-day Botswana marathon race, and are looking forward to returning to the Free State event where they earned their first overall SARRC win last year.

Gareth Woolridge and Boyd Dreyer

The Desert Race victory handed the young pair the championship advantage, and they currently lead the Production Vehicle title chase with 86 points, 15 ahead of the Toyota crew of Henk Lategan/Brett Cummings, and a further three points ahead of third-placed Giniel de Villiers/Dennis Murphy (Toyota).

Additional confidence comes after having competed at the Baja Spain Aragon in July. They finished a commendable 11th overall in their T1+ Ranger against the top rally raid competitors in the world.  

Two-time Dakar Rally winner Nani Roma and co-driver Alex Haro were classified 6th overall in the second T1+ Ranger, with this crucial outing forming part of the build-up to the 2024 Dakar Rally for the NWM, M-Sport and Ford Performance joint venture.  

NWM Ford Castrol teammates Lance Woolridge and Kenny Gilbert (#234) secured their first podium of the SARRC season by finishing as runners-up in Botswana. This gave them a solid points haul and placed them fifth in the Production Vehicle battle on 41 points – just 20 points behind the Toyota crew of Guy Botterill/Simon Vacy-Lyle.  

“All the hard work, intensive testing and long hours the team has put into the development of our T1+ Ranger have certainly paid off, and this sets the scene for a thrilling remainder of the 2023 season,” says team principal Neil Woolridge.  

“Having just come back from Spain where Gareth and Boyd finished 11th, and ran as high as second in one of the stages until they lost time near the end with a puncture, shows just how competitive we are this year, both locally and internationally. 

“Going into the Parys event leading the overall SARRC Production Vehicle and T1+ rankings is fantastic for the team, and the back-to-back races in Parys will be an important opportunity to continue building on this momentum. We have no doubt that our rivals will come out with all guns blazing, so we will be giving it everything for this event.”  

The NWM-supported privateer team of Wors Prinsloo and Andre Vermeulen (#241) are also eager to capitalise on the two races in Parys, having shown impressive pace in their first season with the T1+ Ranger.  

As two full one-day races, the action kicks off on Friday 18 August, with the race headquarters and designated service park (DSP) located at the Afridome Showgrounds on the outskirts of Parys.

Competitors will complete a 32 km qualifying sprint (including 8 km of liaison), starting at 07:30.  

The top 10 finishers then do a draw to determine starting positions for the main race. This is followed by the full race loop of 173 km which commences at 09:30 and is repeated twice, split by a mandatory 30-minute service interval.  

A separate route is lined up for the Saturday race which follows a similar format, including a 16 km qualifying race with 13 km of liaison. The main race loop comprises 190 km (with 20 km liaison), once again completed twice with a service stop in between.  

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Colin-on-Cars - Ford ready for the desert

Knowing the deal is done for Pietermaritzburg’s Neil Woolridge Motors to be the builders of the official Ford foray into the Dakar Rally makes its efforts at the upcoming Toyota Gazoo Botswana Desert 1000 even more significant than usual.

Over the past three years, the Desert Race has taken place in Upington in the Northern Cape as a result of travel and logistics restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. For 2023, the Toyota Gazoo Racing Kalahari Botswana 1000 Desert Race (TGR 1000) heads back to the diamond mining town of Jwaneng, which hosted the event for several years before it was moved to Selebi-Phikwe in 2019.

Its unique status as a three-day marathon event sees the action commence on Friday with a short 61 km qualifying loop to determine the starting order for the main race. The top 10 competitors then draw their starting positions, with the strategy regarding road position for the opening loop being a key consideration.

On Saturday the competitors will complete two 220 km loops to the east of Jwaneng, separated by a mandatory 30-minute service stop at the designated service park (DSP), located at the Jwaneng Sports Complex which also serves as the race headquarters.

Sunday sees the teams tackle two runs through a 214 km race loop west of Jwaneng, with a 30-minute service stop in between. The overall times for the weekend will determine the final results.

“The Desert Race is extremely popular in Botswana. We have a loyal and enthusiastic following in the country, and we know the fans are eager to see the SARRC return this year,” says Neil Woolridge, team principal of the NWM Ford Castrol squad.

“We have enjoyed good results at the Desert Race, and our team has been buoyed by last week’s announcement that we will be competing at the 2024 Dakar Rally with our T1+ Ranger, along with Ford Performance and M-Sport. 

"Over the past year, we have conducted a series of in-depth tests with M-Sport to further develop our T1+ Ranger for the Dakar Rally, and our results in the opening rounds of the 2023 season have shown that all of this hard work is paying off,” Woolridge says.

Gareth Woolridge and co-driver Boyd Dreyer are the leading NWM Ford Castrol contenders in their #277 T1+ EcoBoost V6-powered Ranger, having scored back-to-back podium finishes at the season-opening Nkomazi 400 in Malalane and the Sugarbelt 400 in Eston.

Accordingly, they are currently tied for second place in the Production Vehicle championship, along with the Toyota crew of Giniel de Villiers/Dennis Murphy.

“Gareth and Boyd are busy with another test session in Morocco currently and will arrive in Botswana on Thursday, having had the benefit of thousands of kilometres of testing over the past couple of months. So they will be very well prepared to go for it the moment the flag drops in Jwaneng,” Woolridge says.

Lance Woolridge and co-driver Kenny Gilbert (#234) have had a tough start to their first season together, but have shown impressive pace on several occasions. They are currently eighth overall in the championship and are aiming to maximize their points haul at this crucial event – especially with the prospect of 45 points up for grabs for the class win, in place of the normal 30 points for the shorter events.

The NWM-supported privateer team of Wors Prinsloo and Andre Vermeulen (#241) is eager to get back in the action in their T1+ Ranger after missing the previous round. They are currently 13th overall in the standings, having finished an impressive seventh at the opening round of the season.

Fans can follow all the action and track the position of the crews throughout each of the 2023 season’s seven races using the RallySafe app, which can be downloaded free of charge for iOS and Android devices from the relevant app stores.

2024 Dakar Rally

Ford Performance is set to expand its global motorsports effort by competing in the legendary Dakar Rally, one of the toughest off-road competitions on Earth.

A purpose-built, race-ready Ford Ranger T1+ will compete in the 2024 Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia in the Rally Raid T1+ class. Ford Performance is collaborating in a comprehensive test and development program with M-Sport and Neil Woolridge Motorsport to prepare for what is expected to be an extremely tough challenge come January 2024.

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Colin-on-Cars - Time to step up

It is nearly time for someone to step up and be part of the Dakar legend – and the Toyota 1000 Desert Race in Botswana is the place to do it.

The race moves back to Botswana and kicks off in Jwaneng on June 23 and, officially known as the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing SA Kalahari Botswana 1000 Desert Race, or TGRSA 1,000 Desert Race for short, the third round of the 2023 South African Rally-Raid Championship (SARRC) offers arguably the biggest single prize of the year: Free entry to the Dakar Rally.

The TGRSA 1000 Desert Race has consistently been the longest and toughest motor sport event on the African continent, and as such offers the type of test that is in line with the gruelling Dakar Rally itself.

TOYOTA GAZOO Racing SA are again aligning with the Amaury Sports Organisation (ASO), organisers of the Dakar Rally, to offer Dakar hopefuls the opportunity to win a free entry to the race.

As before, as this initiative is known, the Road to Dakar is open to all privateers who haven’t previously taken part in the Dakar Rally. The winning competitor can choose to enter the next Dakar or the following one, effectively giving the team a maximum of 18 months to prepare for the race.

This means that crews who have previously won the Dakar Challenge or Road to Dakar but haven’t been able to take up their prize, are eligible to win again in 2023.

In order to further level the playing field for competitors, the organisers of the Dakar Rally have set a rule that both the driver and navigator must be Dakar rookies, neither having taken part in the Dakar Rally before.

Crews hoping to follow in the footsteps of previous Road to Dakar winners need to specifically register for the challenge before the TGRSA 1,000 Desert Race starts. Past winners of the race-within-a-race include Thomas Rundle, Gary Bertholdt, Jason Venter, Hennie de Klerk, Terence Marsh, Jaco van Dyk, Eben Basson and most recently Yannick Panagoitis.

“We are proud to once again host the iconic Desert Race, this time back in Botswana, where the race is one of the biggest sporting events on that country’s calendar,” says Toyota SA Motors Vice-President for Marketing, Glenn Crompton.

“Toyota has been an integral part of South African rally-raid racing for many decades, and our Dakar-winning Hilux T1+ has become a point of pride not only for the company but for South Africans in general. This year, we are again pleased to offer a rookie crew the opportunity to share in the Dakar dream, by hosting the Road to Dakar in Botswana.”

This year’s TOYOTA GAZOO Racing SA Kalahari Botswana 1000 Desert Race will take place on 23-25 June, in the area surrounding the town of Jwaneng in southern Botswana.

This area has played host to the race on multiple occasions in the past, though the last time was in 2018, before a move to Selebi Pikwe in 2019.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused the 2020 Desert Race to be cancelled, and the town of Upington, in South Africa’s Northern Cape, hosted in 2021 and 2022, with the race returning to Botswana for 2023.

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Colin-on-Cars - Hilux tames the sugar cane

Henk Lategan and Brett Cummings crossed the finish line to take top spot at the Sugarbelt 400 held near Eston, KwaZulu-Natal recently – with teammates Giniel de Villiers/Dennis Murphy in a second Toyota Gazoo Racing Hilux not far behind.

"It was a lot tougher to open the route during qualifying than we expected, and we lost some time there," shared race-winner Lategan. "The first race loop went very well until we slid off the road while reversing after an overshoot. We were wedged against a tree and lost some time extricating the GR DKR Hilux T1+, but we got going again."

The crew also suffered a puncture shortly after this incident, which further delayed their progress. They also faced a problem with the front differential, finishing the first loop with a deficit of 1min to the leaders.

Lategan and Cummings didn't let the issues hold them back, however. They pushed extremely hard during the second loop, managing to make up enough time to secure victory, despite suffering a second puncture.

"We fought our way back during the second loop," Lategan added. "Our team's determination and hard work paid off, and we are thrilled to have secured the win."

Hot on their heels, teammates Giniel de Villiers and co-driver Dennis Murphy finished a mere 3min 16sec behind, securing a solid second place. The final crew in the TGRSA line-up, Guy Botterill and Simon Vacy-Lyle, narrowly missed the podium, finishing in a commendable fourth place overall.

"I am immensely proud of our crews for having shown grit, determination, and a strong fighting spirit," said Glyn Hall, TGRSA Team Principal. "Despite facing some challenges, they stayed focused and brought home outstanding results."

The Sugarbelt 400 course, set in the beautiful and rugged terrain around the town of Eston in KwaZulu-Natal, posed its unique challenges. The race wound through sugarcane fields and plantations, testing the mettle of all participants.

With the Sugarbelt 400 now in the past, TGRSA is shifting its focus to the next challenge: the TGRSA 1000 Desert Race. Known as the longest and toughest motorsport event on the African continent, this race is also a 'home race' for TGRSA, as the team also serves as the title sponsor for the event.

"We are looking forward to the TGRSA 1000 Desert Race, and we are keen to maintain our momentum," Hall added. "This year, the race is moving back to Botswana, where it will be run in the area around the southern town of Jwaneng. Our crews are up to the challenge, and we are excited to see what the next round holds for us."

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Colin-on-Cars - Ford dominates in Eston

Gareth Woolridge and Boyd Dreyer proved that they are serious contenders for the South African Rally-Raid Championship title this year following an impressive performance at this weekend’s Sugarbelt 400 in Eston, KwaZulu-Natal, which earned them a second consecutive podium.

The Neil Woolridge Motorsport (NWM) Ford Castrol crew proved their potential, as well as that of the EcoBoost V6-powered T1+ Ranger, on Friday’s 52km qualifying loop by blitzing the short but intense sprint through the sugarcane plantations that define this scenic farming area.

They completed the qualifying sprint in a time of 42 min 49 sec after a faultless run – a substantial 01:13 quicker than second-placed Toyota rivals Giniel de Villiers and Dennis Murphy, and a further two seconds ahead of the second Toyota of Henk Lategan/Brett Cummings.

Their advantage was ultimately cut back to just four seconds after the qualifying sprint was recalculated to end at the 20.29km mark following a fire that blocked the route for several competitors. NWM Ford Castrol team-mates Lance Woolridge and Kenny Gilbert slotted into third place overnight based on the revised times, just seven seconds adrift of De Villiers/Murphy, and a mere one second ahead of Lategan/Cummings.

Saturday saw the exciting battle at the sharp end of the field gain further momentum as Gareth and Boyd completed the opening 162km loop in the lead after a fast and trouble-free run – with a useful margin of 59 seconds to Lategan/Cummings, and 04:43 ahead of De Villiers/Murphy.

Unfortunately, things didn’t go to plan for Lance and Kenny, as a navigation error cost them considerable time and they dropped down the running order.

Punctures afflicted several of the top competitors on the second 162km loop, and this included Gareth and Boyd as they had to replace a tyre with 50km remaining. With less than a minute separating the NWM Ford Ranger pair from the lead at the final split, the thrilling tussle faded as they picked up a problem on the front brakes with just 30km to go.

Having to rely solely on the handbrake to slow the vehicle, Gareth and Boyd fought tenaciously right to the finish, and were rewarded with third place overall. They lost out on second place by just 14 seconds to De Villiers/Murphy after almost 350km of high-paced action, with the win going to Lategan/Cummings. This was the NWM Ford Castrol crew’s second podium on the trot, after securing the runner-up spot at the season-opening race in Malalane.

“It was great to win the qualifying race yesterday, and we started today strong and found a good rhythm on the first loop,” Gareth said. “We were even quicker on loop two and it was going really well until we got the puncture. We then had the brake issue which cost us a lot of time, so finishing third is a good result all considered.

“For our local championship, it’s really exciting that the top teams are very evenly matched. Today was a proper race, especially amongst the three of us up front. We all had a laugh at the end and agreed that it was extremely close, which is nice to see,” Gareth added.

Lance and Kenny’s first loop navigation error was compounded by an issue with the rear differential, which the team elected to replace at the mandatory 30-minute service stop. They incurred a further 15 minutes of lateness making the change, but fortunately had a clear and impressively fast run through the second loop, bringing the NWM Ranger home 12th overall and seventh in T1+.

“It was a tough weekend for us after the navigation mistake this morning, but Kenny and I are learning together which is our goal for this year,” Lance said. “On the second lap we had a perfect run without a single mistake and got into a really nice groove, so Kenny is very quickly getting to grips with the road book and GPS navigation.

“We also stopped to pull out Eben Basson and Leander Pienaar after they overshot a corner, and were happy to return the favour after they helped me at the Parys event last year,” Lance said. “We are looking forward to the Desert Race in Botswana, as that’s the big one and we have a lot of work planned for the cars, but the pace we had this weekend is very exciting for us.”

It was a positive result for NWM team principal, Neil Woolridge. “We’re always working on the car with upgrades and evolutions, and all the effort the team has put into it this year is really showing, as we’ve been very competitive in both of the opening races, which is very encouraging.

“Our joint development project with M-Sport is also bearing fruit, as we learn a lot about the car every time we go testing together,” Neil said. “Last week we completed around 3 500km of testing in Morocco without any issues, proving just how tough and capable our T1+ Ranger is, and it’s fantastic to be taking the fight to our rivals this year.”

The next race is the Toyota 1000 Desert Race in Jwaneng, Botswana, from 23-25 June 2023.

Story and Pictures: Colin Mileman

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Colin-on-Cars - Ford revved up for Eston encounter

Following a week of intense testing of its T1+ Ford Ranger in Morocco, Neil Woolridge Motors and the Ford Team are geared up for a good result on the Sugarbelt 400, the second round of the 2023 South African Rally Raid Championship (SARRC).

For the Neil Woolridge Motorsport (NWM) Ford Castrol Team, the second round will be a crucial opportunity to make the most of the significant upgrades it has introduced on its class FIA T1+ EcoBoost V6-powered Ford Ranger, which is built at NWM’s facility just north of the race venue, in Pietermaritzburg.

Leading up to the Sugarbelt 400, NWM embarked on week-long in-depth testing and development program on the T1+ Ranger in Morocco with its global rally-raid partner, 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 team principal Neil Woolridge.

“At this stage we don’t have a large customer base of T1+ vehicles competing around the world as do 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,” Woolridge says. 

“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.”

Gareth Woolridge and Boyd Dreyer (#277) are the top-placed NWM Ford Castrol crew after finishing second at the Nkomazi 400. The dynamic young team scored their first overall championship win at the final round of 2022, and they are eager to add more silverware to the trophy collection.

Gareth Woolridge and Boyd Dreyer

Team-mates Lance Woolridge and Kenny Gilbert (#234) had their first outing together at the 2023 season-opener in the second NWM T1+ Ranger. They posted the second-fastest time during the qualifying sprint – despite it being motorcycle racer Gilbert’s first time in the navigator’s seat.

Unfortunately, a damaged hydraulic clutch pipe halted their progress on the first race loop and forced them to retire, so their objective for the Sugarbelt 400 will be to secure maximum points to kickstart their 2023 championship challenge.

On the privateer front, the NWM-supported crew of Wors Prinsloo and Andre Vermeulen (#241) surprised many of the top competitors by finishing ninth overall in the T1+ category, and seventh amongst the four-wheel drive cars in their first national race with the T1+ NWM Ford Ranger.

Having raced the Class T NWM Ranger V8 previously, the team is on a fast learning curve getting to grips with the exceptional performance of their new T1+ Ranger, and learning just how hard they can push it in the roughest terrain – and they are sure to be a regular feature in the top 10 results.

The Sugarbelt 400 is well known for its spectacular scenery, set in the mountains and lush green sugarcane plantations surrounding Eston. The event is based at the Beaumont Eston Farmer’s Club which serves as the race headquarters, designated service park and start-finish.

The action commences on Friday 12 May at 12:30 with the short 52km Pirelli Qualifying Race, which determines the starting order for the main race on Saturday. Adding some strategic thinking to the mix, the top 10 teams will draw their starting positions from slowest to fastest, which always adds a dash of intrigue.

On Saturday, the crews will complete two loops of 160km each, starting at 08:00 and separated by a compulsory 30-minute service stop. Spectators have access to numerous viewing points located along the route to see the cars in action, along with free entry to the service park.

Fans can also follow all the action and track the position of the crews throughout each of the 2023 season’s seven races using the RallySafe app, which can be downloaded free of charge for iOS and Android devices from the relevant app stores.

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Colin-on-Cars - De Villiers takes the title

Toyota’s Giniel de Villiers is the 2022 South African Rally-Raid Champion (SARRC), having nicked the position by finishing second behind Gareth Woolridge and Boyd Dreyer – who claimed their first overall race win in the EcoBoost V6 powered FIA T1+ Ford Ranger on the rain-drenched Parys 400 event.

The weekend started with a qualifying race held in cold and very wet conditions, over an already saturated route of 12 km. The mud and incessant rain made it tricky for the crews to find a rhythm, but even so, TGRSA’s crews performed well.

Variawa and Stassen set the benchmark time of 8min 1sec, and were followed home by brothers Johan and Werner Horn, driving a privately entered Toyota Hilux T1+, similar to that campaigned by TGRSA. Behind them came the three remaining works crews: De Villiers/Burke; Guy Botterill and co-driver Simon-Vacy-Lyle; and Lategan/Cummings.

Conditions continued to deteriorate as the delayed race start drew near, but when the flag dropped it was flat out racing in Parys. At the end of the first race loop, which was severely curtailed due to the conditions, it was Lategan/Cummings who led, with De Villiers/Burke in second, Variawa/Stassen in third and Botterill/Vacy-Lyle in fourth – a power performance by the works squad.

Shortly before the end of the loop, the organisers announced the second race loop would be cancelled due to the deteriorating condition of the track, which saw numerous competitors fail to reach the Designated Service Park (DSP) at the Parys Airfield. And with that, Round 6 was done.

Round 7 followed on the Saturday of the weekend, again starting with a qualifying race over a 12 km course. Continued rain over the preceding night meant even more treacherous conditions under foot, but the man who went fastest during qualifying the day before, was again best of the TGRSA crews: Variawa/Stassen posted the second-fastest time, with De Villiers/Burke in fifth place.

When racing got under way shortly after, the tough conditions took their toll. Lategan/Cummings moved into the lead mid-way through the opening race loop, but disaster struck around the 70 km mark: An alternator belt was dislodged in deep water, and when the crew attempted to pull off the route, they became severely stuck. Shortly after, Variawa/Stassen fell foul to a similar fate, ending up stuck within sight of their teammates.

Botterill/Vacy-Lyle also lost an alternator belt 6 km from the finish. This belt also drives the power steering pump, and with no assistance, the big-tyred Hilux T1+ becomes nearly impossible to drive. Despite this, Botterill managed to wrestle the car home to finish in fourth place overall.

Ahead of Botterill/Vacy-Lyle, De Villiers/Burke drove a faultless race to finish Loop 1 in second place. As with the previous day, the race organisers were forced to cancel the second race loop, cementing De Villiers/Burke’s second position, as well as De Villiers’ championship. This title capped a fantastic season for the South African-built and developed Toyota Hilux T1+, starting with victory on the Dakar Rally back in January this year.

The Neil Woolridge Motorsport (NWM) Ford Castrol Team ended its season on a high as Gareth Woolridge and Boyd Dreyer claimed their first overall race win.

“We are thrilled with the win, as Boyd and I have been trying to secure our first win for at least 10 years,” Gareth said. “I’m really glad to finally pull it together in the most difficult conditions we’ve ever raced in.

“It has been a difficult year, with some small technical issues that have let us down, despite Boyd and I having one of our cleanest seasons yet,” Gareth added. “We’ve taken big strides forward with our T1+ Ranger, as we proved at the previous event and this weekend in Parys. So for next year, I think we’re in good shape for even bigger and better things.”

Team-mates Lance Woolridge and Elvéne Vonk (#234) led the NWM Ford Castrol team’s charge on Friday, finishing fifth overall. After setting the fourth-fastest time for Saturday’s qualifying loop, just 14 seconds off the lead Ranger, it looked set to be a thrilling battle for the final podium of this year’s championship.

However, they were among several of the top crews who got stuck around halfway through the race loop. Thanks to the assistance of the TeamHilux team of Eben Basson and Leander Pienaar, Lance and Elvéne were able to extricate their stricken Ranger from the quagmire – and were rewarded for their never-say-die attitude by coming home fifth in Class FIA T1+ and 14th overall.

“I didn’t think the conditions could get worse than yesterday, but it was manic out there today,” Lance said. “It was so slippery that we had to start braking from 600 to 700 metres away from a turn and then just tiptoe around the corner.

“We got stuck in a ploughed field where the two Toyotas ahead of us had already gone through, and when I got out the car I sank right down to my knees in the mud,” he added. “Elvéne and I didn’t want to slow the top teams down so we let them all past, then Eben and Leander, who had won their class championship on Friday, stopped and pulled us out, and we had a clean run to the end.”

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Colin-on-Cars - Double points, double the fun

The small Free State of Parys, situated on the banks on the Vaal River, will be rocking to the sound of high performance engines this weekend as the 2022 South African Rally-Raid Championship (SARRC) comes to a climax with a double-header and very much a Toyota versus Ford shootout.

For Henk Lategan and co-driver Brett Cummings, the weekend offers the opportunity to seal their fourth SARRC title, as they hold a three-point lead over teammates Giniel de Villiers and co-driver Dennis Murphy in the overall Production Category.

De Villiers, however, is a fierce competitor and is sure to make Lategan work hard for the points he needs to clinch the championship. To make matters more interesting, however, Murphy will be unable to compete in Parys due to a broken arm. Seasoned co-driver Rodney Burke will be  strapping into his seat for the weekend, adding pressure to De Villiers in his quest to regain the SARRC crown.

For the Neil Woolridge Motorsport (NWM) Ford Castrol Team it will be a crucial opportunity to maximise its points and move up the standings.

Gareth Woolridge and Boyd Dreyer (277) are currently fifth in the premier FIA T1+ category in their EcoBoost V6-powered NWM Ford Ranger, with just eight points separating them from third-placed Shameer Variawa/Danie Stassen (Toyota).

This sets the scene for an intense battle that will be played out on the dusty tracks of this farming region near the Vaal River, just more than an hour’s drive from Johannesburg.

Gareth and Boyd proved that they have the pace to run at the front of the field after leading most of Round 5 at NAMPO Park in Bothaville. A minor electrical gremlin tripped up their charge to victory, but the young pair are intent on ending the season on a high.

Behind the two hard-charging Class T1+ Toyota Hilux crews come two more crews from the same squad, driving identical cars. Shameer Variawa and co-driver Danie Stassen are 30 points adrift of De Villiers/Murphy, and only three points ahead of Guy Botterill and co-driver Simon Vacy-Lyle with two rounds to go.

While it is unlikely either Variawa or Botterill will overtake the crews ahead of them, anything can still happen, and with a maximum of 60 points on offer between the final two rounds, neither of the two chasing crews will be holding anything in reserve this weekend.

“This has been a stunning season for us,” says TGRSA Team Principal, Glyn Hall. “Our Class T1+ Hilux has dominated all year, clearly showing why this machine is tough enough to not only compete at the Dakar Rally, but also to have won it twice now.”

With this in mind, the team will be using the weekend’s Parys 400, as the double-header is known, to test a number of final engine upgrades and other components, as they prepare for the upcoming Dakar Rally in January, 2023.

An identical Hilux, in the hands of Toyota Gazoo Racing’s Nasser Al-Attiyah and co-driver Mathieu Baumel won the inaugural World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC) this year, and the mileage recorded during that championship, as well as the SARRC, may well prove to be invaluable in the development of the latest iteration of the GR DKR Hilux T1+ as the car is also known.

This weekend’s race is likely to take place in wet and muddy conditions, though no heavy rains are predicted over the weekend itself. Even so, the muddy tracks around the town of Parys has proven tough in the past, and the TGRSA crews will have their work cut out for them, with two full races taking place in just two days. This includes a prologue, to determine the starting orders for the main race, on both mornings – followed by two long race loops that brings the total daily race distance close to the 400 km mark.

The 2022 season has been extremely challenging for team-mates Lance Woolridge and Elvéne Vonk (234) in the second NWM Ford Castrol T1+ Ranger. They have also shown race-winning potential on several occasions this year, and are aiming to repeat the impressive form they had at the NAMPO event to shake things up – with Lady Luck hopefully on their side for a change as they continue durability testing of key components.

“We have been hard at work testing and sorting out the little niggles that have hampered our performance this year. We are looking forward to returning to Parys which has very similar terrain to the last event, and this seems to suit our car,” says team principal Neil Woolridge.

“It was encouraging and a real morale booster for the entire team to see the Rangers dominating qualifying and having Gareth and Boyd leading for most of the previous round. Now we just need a clean run without any hassles to show what we are capable of as we give Gareth and Boyd the best chance to fight for the final podium position in the 2022 championship,” Neil says.

The action gets under way at 07:30 on Friday morning, when the crews take on a 12 km-long qualifying race.

This will be followed by two loops of 155 km each, starting at 9:30. The crews will then have to repair and recuperate, as they’ll be doing it all again the next day, making for a tough finish to a long season. Fans can visit the race and its HQ at the Parys Airfield free of charge, or follow the action on the Rally Safe application, which is available for both iOS and Android devices.

This race is renowned for its spectator-friendly route and easily accessible viewing points, and access to the route and DSP is free.

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Colin-on-Cars - Toyota dominates while Ford shows promise

Toyota Gazoo Racing SA (TGRSA) achieved a clean sweep of podium positions for both rounds of the penultimate event in the 2022 South African Rally-Raid Championship (SARRC), with Henk Lategan and Brett Cummings winning twice in a row.

“This was an astounding weekend for the team,” said an ecstatic TGRSA Team Principal, Glyn Hall, after the race. “Everything went according to plan for us, and Henk really showed his class by winning twice – once from tenth on the road, and once from the front.”

For Lategan, a good result was desperately needed in his quest to defend his crown as defending SARRC champion, as he found himself trailing teammate Giniel de Villiers in the overall standings, after three rounds of the season. But two consecutive victories put Lategan right back in the mix, with just two rounds (another double-header event) to go in the 2022 championship.

While Lategan and co-driver Cummings undoubtedly made the most of the weekend, each of their teammates found their own times to shine, ensuring stunning results for the entire team over the course of the weekend.

During Round 4, which took place on Friday, September 30, it was Guy Botterill and co-driver Simon Vacy-Lyle who went second-fastest, trailing Lategan/Cummings to the end by just shy of two minutes. De Villiers and co-driver Dennis Murphy recorded a third-place finish for the round, ensuring that they stayed in touch with the lead in the championship fight.

Round 5 saw De Villiers/Murphy improve on their finish from the day before, moving into second place for the round. They finished 1min 42sec behind the flying Lategan/Cummings. Shameer Variawa and co-driver Danie Stassen went third-fastest, completing the second all-TGRSA podium for the weekend.

“Overall, we’re not only pleased with the results, but also with the progress we’ve made with the testing and development of the new parts and setups that we ran this weekend,” continued Hall. “We are always hunting for more performance in our quest to continuously improve our Dakar-winning GR DKR Hilux T1+, and this weekend served as confirmation that our latest developments are working as expected.”

The NWM Ford Castrol Team has made significant strides in the development of its mighty Class FIA T1+ Ranger since it debuted at the start of the 2022 season, and its race-winning potential was clearly shown at the action-packed fourth and fifth rounds SARRC Series at NAMPO Park near Bothaville in the Free State in extremely hot and dusty conditions – an ideal proving ground for the Dakar Rally-specification.

Lance Woolridge and Elvéne Vonk (234) were among the top competitors during the short 8,9 km qualifying races for both days. In round four on Friday, they were tied for second place with Giniel de Villiers/Dennis Murphy (Toyota), just 7,1 sec off the leading Toyota of Henk Lategan/Brett Cummings.

The second NWM Ford Castrol crew of Gareth Woolridge and Boyd Dreyer (277) were also right in the mix, but they overshot a corner near the end and stalled the car, losing about 16 seconds which dropped them down to fifth in T1+ and eighth overall. The top 10 qualifiers draw their starting positions in reverse order, which saw Gareth and Boyd starting first, with Lance and Elvéne second on the road.

In the main race, which comprised two loops of 171 km each, Lance and Elvéne were unfortunately hampered 15 km into the opening stint by a hole that developed in a turbo-charger actuator pipe, and they lost significant time to the front-runners due to the lack of boost. The pipe was replaced during the mandatory 30-minute service stop, and they fought back on the second loop to finish seventh in T1+ after posting some of the fastest times of the section.

Opening the road cost Gareth and Boyd significant time, and they had to contend with intermittent power loss issues during the opening loop, but this was remedied for the second stint, and they had a clean run to finish fourth overall.

The NWM Ford Castrol Team headed into round five on Saturday with determination and confidence, and it certainly paid off as Lance and Elvéne set the fastest qualifying time, with Gareth and Boyd finishing second, just 1,2 seconds off their team-mates.

However, the saying “If you didn’t have bad luck, you wouldn’t have any luck” certainly rung true for Lance and Elvéne yet again, as the team found a small crack in a turbo-charger oil cooler pipe after qualifying. Without a replacement item on hand emergency repairs were made, and the team went out on the first loop. Sadly it all came to nothing as the leak re-emerged 20 km into the stage, and they were ultimately forced to retire.

“We did a lot of work on the car after the last event, and all of the changes made have really shown that we are now capable of running at the front of the field,” Lance said. “Our good qualifying performance on both days and the pace we have shown during the race is fantastic and very encouraging for the team. Our final results are disappointing, but we will regroup and focus on the small things that have let us down this weekend, and I’m sure we’ll have a good race next time.”

With their team-mates out of action Gareth and Boyd soon took over the lead, and a thrilling tussle ensued between the NWM Ford Ranger crew and the Toyota of Lategan/Cummings. Just four seconds separated the teams after 168 km of racing as they headed into the pits, and an all-out battle was expected for the top step of the podium on loop two.

Ultimately it was not to be, as an electronic gremlin linked to the power distribution module caused the car to cut out several times. As a result, they lost around five minutes to the leaders but fought on to cross the finish line in fourth place overall once again.

The NWM Ford Ranger V8 scored a pair of podium finishes in Class T. Regional competitors Hendrik and Heinrich du Plessis (T16) made their national championship debut at the NAMPO event, and finished an impressive third in both races, ahead of Christo Rose and Arno Olivier (T58) in fourth.

The final event of the season will be another double-header in Parys, on 11 and 12 November 2022.

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Colin-on-Cars - Dakar prize up for grabs

The longest and toughest race on the South African Rally-Raid calendar, the Toyota Gazoo Racing 1000 Desert Race, is much more than just a round of the series because, within the chase for championship points, is the race for entry to the Dakar.

The event kicks off in the Northern Cape town of Upington on June 24 and the ‘race to Dakar’ is open to all privateers who have not previously taken part in the Dakar Rally. The winning competitor can choose to enter the next Dakar or the following one, effectively giving the team a maximum of 18 months to prepare for the race.

Eligible

This means crews who have previously won the Dakar Challenge or Road to Dakar, but have not been able to take up their prize, are eligible to win again in 2022.

In order to further level the playing field for competitors, the organisers of the Dakar Rally have set a rule that both the driver and navigator must be Dakar rookies, neither having taken part in the Dakar Rally before.

The 2022 Road to Dakar will include not only free entry to the Dakar Rally, but also a cash prize of 8 000 euros, which will assist the winning team in their preparations for the mammoth race. The total value of the prize is near R700 000, essentially paving the way for rookie privateers to realise their Dakar dreams.

“Toyota South Africa has a long and proud history in the world of cross-country racing, both locally and on the International stage,” says Toyota SA Motors Vice-President for Marketing, Glenn Crompton. “Our Dakar-winning Hilux is proof of our commitment, and we are excited to be able to support the Road to Dakar again this year, opening the door for rookie privateers to compete in the Dakar Rally, through the flagship event on the SARRC calendar, the TGRSA 1,000 Desert Race.”

Status

However, championship status is what the NWM Ford Castrol team will be looking for in what is the second round of the series with the Sugarbelt 400 in KwaZulu-Natal postponed as a result of the recent devastating floods.

Gareth Woolridge and Boyd Dreyer (277) are the leading NWM Ford Castrol Team contenders, having finished on the podium in third place at the wet and muddy opening round – the Mpumalanga 400 held in Dullstroom in March – and are currently placed third in the championship. 

They are eagerly in the hunt for their first victory in the premier FIA category in the EcoBoost-powered Ford Ranger, having come tantalisingly close on several occasions but lucked out at the final hurdle.

Team-mates Lance Woolridge and Elvéne Vonk (234) are determined to make it to the finish and score valuable points after a disappointing non-finish in Dullstroom. The crew were leading the Mpumalanga 400 on day two but slid off the track in the slippery conditions and hit a tree which damaged their vehicle’s chassis, forcing them to retire.

“Our race-leading pace and podium finish at the Mpumalanga 400 bodes well for this year’s Desert Race, which poses the unique challenge of a three-day marathon race format covering almost 1 000 km. This makes it the longest and toughest event of the year, but a crucial one in the championship fight,” says Neil Woolridge, team principal of NWM. “We have done further testing and development of our T1+ Ranger since Dullstroom, and I’m confident that we will be even more competitive at the upcoming event.”

Qualifying

The T1 EcoBoost Rangers were very quick at last year’s Desert Race in Upington, with Lance and Elvéne finishing third after an exciting battle with their major title rivals. Gareth and Boyd were also on a charge, having set the fastest times in qualifying and on Sunday’s opening loop in the 2021 event. Unfortunately, they picked up several punctures on Saturday and had a drive belt failure within sight of the finish line on Sunday which set them back.

“Gareth and Boyd are more determined than ever to turn their impressive pace into a race victory, and it will be exciting to watch our two T1+ NWM Rangers in action,” Woolridge says.

The Desert Race kicks off with a 75 km Pirelli Qualifying race, starting at 12:00 on Friday June 24 at the race headquarters and designated service park (DSP), located at the Upington Expo Centre.

Identical

The action resumes on Saturday at 08:00 and comprises two identical loops of 200 km each, separated by a 30-minute mandatory service stop. According to the organisers, the route will be similar to last year with a mix of sandy tracks, mini dunes and gravel and rocky sections.

On Sunday the competitors will set off at 08:00 and tackle two loops of a different 200 km route comprising small dunes and sandy sections, once again split by the scheduled 30-minute service stop.

The NWM Ranger V8 remains the leading contender in Class T for lower-specification solid-axle vehicles. Wors Prinsloo and Andre Vermeulen (T41) opened their 2022 campaign in Dullstroom with victory and an impressive ninth place in the overall results. However, Prinsloo subsequently sold his Ranger to X Rally Team, NWM’s long-standing customer team in Brazil, and will be focusing his efforts on the 2023 SARRC season.

Fight

This leaves second-place finishers at the Mpumalanga 400, Bernard and Minette Johnstone (T22), and Christo Rose/Arno Olivier (T58) who claimed the final step on the podium, to fight for the Desert Race win and overall Class T title this year.

Access to the DSP is free and unrestricted, and the competitors can be viewed at numerous easily accessible spectator points along the race route.

Follow all the action and track the position of the crews throughout each of the 2022 season’s races using the RallySafe app which can be downloaded free of charge for iOS and Android devices.

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