- Gareth Woolridge and Boyd Dreyer (#200) are currently fourth in SARRC Overall Production Vehicle championship and fifth in Ultimate class based on provisional standings
- Lance Woolridge and Kenny Gilbert (#234) are fifth overall and fourth in Ultimate class
- Final race of the season, the Renault KEC 400, takes place on 8 and 9 November 2024 at Legends Adventure Farm Rhino Park near Pretoria
The action-packed South African Rally-Raid Championship (SARRC) is set to draw to a close on 8 and 9 November 2024, and the Neil Woolridge Motorsport (NWM) Ford Rally-Raid Team will be giving it everything to wrap up the season on a high at the seventh and final round of the series.
This year has delivered a mixed bag of results for the NWM Ford squad as the reigning SARRC champions. Its two EcoBoost V6-powered Ranger Ultimate (T1+) cars have shown impressive pace throughout 2024, but this unfortunately hasn’t translated into success. Accordingly, the team is hoping to turn its fortunes around at Renault KEC 400, which takes place at the Legends Adventure Farm, situated on the Rhino Park R515, east of Pretoria.
Based on the results from Round 6 (which are still provisional), reigning champions Gareth Woolridge and Boyd Dreyer (#200) are fourth in the Overall Production Vehicle championship on 75 points, and fifth in the Ultimate class on 105 points.
Lance Woolridge and Kenny Gilbert (#234) are currently fifth overall, just three points behind their team-mates in the overall standings, but are fourth in Ultimate on 112 points due to a different class scoring system.
“This has been a challenging year for the team, and while we have been in contention for top results on numerous occasions, things just haven’t gone our way,” says Neil Woolridge, NWM Ford team principal. “We have proven that our Ranger Ultimate is very competitive, including finishing a very close second at the Safari 1000, but victory has eluded us.
“We’ve been hard at work since the previous race making sure that both cars are ready to challenge for top results at the final event of the season. The team is looking forward to racing at this new venue, which will hopefully include tighter and more technical terrain that suits our cars better,” Woolridge says. “There’s still a chance that we could finish on the podium in the Overall Production Vehicle and Ultimate class championships, so we will be going all-out to maximise our opportunities.”
The Renault KEC 400 will be based at the Legends Adventure Farm which is just 40km from Pretoria, making it an easily accessible and spectator-friendly event for fans based in Gauteng and Mpumalanga.
Running a Super Event format, the action commences with a 20km qualifying sprint on Friday 8 November, starting at 10:15. This will determine the starting order for the opening 85km race loop that sets off at 13:15.
Loop 2 starts at 08:00 on Saturday morning and covers 175km. According to the race organisers, the route comprises a mix of fast, flowing tracks and a technical mountain section that is rugged and rocky in places. Competitors are expected back in the designated service park (DSP) at the Legends Adventure Farm at approximately 10:00 for the mandatory 30-minute service interval, before repeating the route for the third and final loop.
