Castrol, NWM, Ford and bp Join Forces for 2025 South African Rally-Raid Championship

• Castrol returns as title sponsor of the Neil Woolridge Motorsport team for the 2025 season in the South African Rally-Raid Championship (SARRC), with Ford South Africa remaining a major sponsor, as it has been for almost three decades
• bp Ultimate joins team as a sponsor this year along with Vedacit, Ford Credit, Mastercraft, Sparco and Veldskoen. Technical partners comprise Brembo, NTN, Tiger Wheel & Tyre
• 2023 SARRC champions Gareth Woolridge and Boyd Dreyer lead the charge in the Castrol NWM Ford Ranger Ultimate, which is designed and manufactured by NWM in Pietermaritzburg
• Multiple Brazilian and South American rally-raid champions Marcos Baumgart and Kleber Cincea will be competing in a second Castrol NWM Ford Ranger Ultimate
• Wors Prinsloo and Andre Vermeulen join the Castrol NWM Ford squad as third entry, competing in the more affordable South African Ultimate/T1+ class
• Season scheduled to commence 27 and 28 June in Thabazimbi, Limpopo, after opening round in Vryheid was postponed due to flooding

The highly anticipated 2025 South African Rally-Raid Championship (SARRC) is set to deliver a mighty battle for glory in what is renowned as one of the most competitive series of its kind in the world. It will also see three leading brands united once again as Castrol returns as the title sponsor of the Neil Woolridge Motorsport (NWM) rally-raid team, in partnership with Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa (Manufacturing) (Pty Ltd) (“Ford South Africa”).

This association brings together decades of expertise and passion for motorsport, with Castrol providing its high-performance Castrol EDGE lubricants technology, NWM producing rally-raid vehicles capable of going head-to-head with the best in the world, and Ford showcasing the adventurous lifestyle and exceptional capabilities of the Ranger. The team is further strengthened by bp which joins as a sponsor this year, adding its advanced bp Ultimate fuel to the mix.

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“Ford South Africa has had a successful partnership with Neil Woolridge Motorsport spanning almost three decades. We are delighted to be continuing this association with NWM in the highly competitive South African Rally-Raid Championship, and welcoming Castrol as the team’s title sponsor, along with bp Ultimate and the other sponsors and partners for this year,” says Tarryn Knight, General Manager of Marketing at Ford South Africa.

“Motorsport is one of our key brand-building pillars for the Ford Ranger, emphasizing this proudly South African-built bakkie’s exceptional capabilities, quality and reliability, along with its ongoing sales success in the popular double cab segment. It captures the essence of our Live the Ranger Life brand proposition that embodies living without limits, driving innovation and technology, and embracing Ford’s community of passionate Ranger owners in South Africa,” Knight says.

The 2025 season promises an exhilarating showcase of innovation and endurance. Leading the charge for the Castrol NWM Ford Team are 2023 champions Gareth Woolridge in the driver’s seat and Boyd Dreyer as navigator in the Castrol NWM Ford Ranger Ultimate.

Adding to the excitement, multiple Brazilian and South American rally-raid champions Marcos Baumgart and Kleber Cincea will compete in a second Castrol NWM Ford Ranger Ultimate throughout this season, bringing their vast international experience and competitive spirit to the team.

Woolridge/Dreyer and Baumgart/Cincea will be competing in the top-tier FIA Ultimate/T1+ class. The vehicles are equipped with boost loggers to meet the full international FIA-specification performance control rules.

Wors Prinsloo and Andre Vermeulen will join the Castrol NWM Ford Team as a third entry this year, further bolstering the team’s chances of success. They will be competing in a slightly different South African-specification Ultimate/T1+ class that is designed to be more affordable for teams compared to the full FIA category. Based on the SARRC regulations used in 2024, the vehicle’s performance is controlled using a Motec engine management system.

Along with the class titles up for grabs, all three crews will be competing for the coveted SARRC Overall Championship trophies for Drivers and Navigators.

The 2025 SARRC season is scheduled to commence with a thrilling opening round on 27 and 28 June near Thabazimbi, Limpopo, following the postponement of the opening round scheduled for March in Vryheid, KwaZulu-Natal, due to flooding.

For Castrol, the 2025 season reunites this legendary lubricants brand with NWM at the highest level of rally-raid competition. “The partnership between Castrol and Neil Woolridge Motorsport is a strategic alliance aimed at enhancing the capabilities and competitive edge of NWM’s rally-raid team. Castrol, a global leader in lubricants, brings to the table its cutting-edge technology and expertise in our high-performance products like Castrol EDGE. This collaboration promises to push the boundaries of what is possible in the demanding arena of rally-raid racing,” says Jennifer Heyes, Castrol’s Marketing Director for Africa.

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. bp Ultimate fuels with ACTIVE Technology help clean your engine as you drive, for ultimate performance. Motorsport sponsorships provide a strategic platform to showcase our premium fuel brand as a dirt-busting and reliable fuel which unlocks maximum engine performance. As the NWM team brings the passion to win the race, bp brings the fuel to help make it happen.”

The team’s other valued sponsors for the 2025 season comprise Vedacit, Ford Credit, Mastercraft Tools, Sparco and Veldskoen, along with technical partners Brembo, NTN and Tiger Wheel & Tyre.

“We are delighted to have Castrol on board as our title sponsor this year, reinvigorating the fantastic relationship, support and engagement we shared in recent years, and benefitting from the company’s experience in providing the highest-quality lubricants that excel in the extreme conditions of rally-raid competition,” says NWM team principal, Neil Woolridge.

“We appreciate the long-standing support from Ford South Africa and the Ford dealer network, which have entrusted us to represent the Ranger brand at the highest level of motorsport for many years,” Woolridge says. “It is also a pleasure to welcome bp as a major sponsor this year, along with our other sponsors and technical partners that are crucial for our success.”

Championship-winning crews

The Castrol NWM Ford Team’s line-up of drivers and navigators boasts a wealth of local and international experience at the highest level of the sport.

Long-time friends Gareth Woolridge and Boyd Dreyer have consistently proven their impressive pace in the fiercely competitive and unforgiving world of rally-raid. Having raced together since 2014 in the side-by-side (SxS) category where they finished runners-up in the South African championship, they moved up to the Production Car T1 class in 2015 in the V8-powered NWM Ranger.

Their relentless determination was ultimately rewarded when they secured the overall SARRC Production Vehicle and Class T1+ (now ‘Ultimate’) championship titles in 2023, scoring three wins and six podium finishes from seven rounds. They showed their mettle on the global stage too, achieving a seventh-place finish on the final stage of the 2024 Dakar Rally in the locally designed and built NWM Ranger Ultimate. Gareth previously also competed in the 2018 Rally dos Sertões in Brazil where he won his class in the T1 NWM Ranger V8.

Although they weren’t able to transform their gutsy drives and outstanding speed into results and mount a solid title defence last year, Gareth and Boyd are sure to be serious challengers for the SARRC title once again in 2025.

They will be joined by Marcos Baumgart and Kleber Cincea in a second Castrol NWM Ford Ranger Ultimate. The Brazilian crew are certainly not newcomers to the South African championship, having raced here on numerous occasions since 2018, including claiming their first local victory at the 2019 season-ending Parys 400, competing in a Class T NWM Ranger V8.

Marcos and Kleber have an impressive international pedigree, having secured a total of five and three Brazilian Cross Country Championship titles respectively for drivers and navigators. They won the South American championship in 2019, and stood on the top step of the podium at the 2020 Rally dos Sertões, along with numerous runner-up finishes to their credit from 22 participations in this tough race.

The Brazilian pair have competed in two Dakar Rally events, starting in 2019 where they finished sixth overall in the side-by-side vehicle (SSV) category, and they took on the Dakar again in 2024 in the Ultimate class. They also contested the full World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC) last year.

“It’s a pleasure to be back in the very competitive South African Rally-Raid Championship. For those of us who have raced all over the world, returning to the South African series is great as the level of competition here is very high, and we are sure it will be an incredible year. We love racing in Africa, and it is a privilege to be part of the Neil Woolridge Motorsport team once again,” Baumgart says.

The Castrol NWM Ford Team will feature a third car this season, as the NWM-supported privateer team of Wors Prinsloo and Andre Vermeulen has been incorporated into the team with their Ranger Ultimate. The pair started racing the V8-powered NWM Ranger in Class T in 2020, finishing third in their debut season and moving up to second place at the end of the following year.

Wors and Andre moved up to the premier T1+ category in 2023, finishing an impressive 10th overall in a very competitive field. After a shortened campaign last year due to business commitments, the team will be returning to the fray this year in the latest specification NWM Ranger Ultimate – now in Castrol and BP Ultimate colours, competing in the new SA Ultimate class.

NWM Ford Ranger Ultimate

The NWM Ford Ranger Ultimate is meticulously designed and manufactured by Neil Woolridge Motorsport in Pietermaritzburg. The team has nearly three decades of local and international rally-raid experience, including a long list of national, regional and international race wins and championship victories from around the world. Its rally-raid vehicles are designed from the ground up to compete in the toughest conditions, and take on the best teams in the world.

“We introduced our new Ranger Ultimate for the start of the 2024 season. This was an important step forward for us in designing and producing an almost completely new vehicle with cutting-edge aerodynamics, cooling, suspension set-up and overall performance. Although we didn’t achieve the results we had hoped for, it was a crucial learning year for the team, and we regularly proved that we had the pace to challenge for victory,” says NWM team principal, Neil Woolridge.

“Motorsport is a process of continuous evolution, and we have taken the lessons from last year and improved the package from front to back. The team has done a lot of work during the off-season to refine and enhance the cars, making them more robust and more capable,” Woolridge says. “We are confident that the team will be in a position to fight for race wins and the championship once again this year.”

NWM’s Ranger Ultimate exemplifies the pinnacle of rally-raid performance and capability, and is powered by Ford’s EcoBoost 3.5-litre twin-turbocharged V6 engine. Power output is strictly controlled according to the rally-raid regulations. The vehicles have a minimum weight requirement of 2 010kg.

2025 South African Rally-Raid Championship Calendar