- Lance Woolridge and Kenny Gilbert (#234) overcame retirement on Friday’s Parys 400 race to stage an outstanding comeback and finish third overall on Saturday’s Vaal 400 – a mere 1 second off the runner-up position
- Reigning champions Gareth Woolridge and Boyd Dreyer (#200) were sixth on Friday and looked set to take a dominant victory on Saturday’s race, but a puncture near the end saw them finish fourth
Motorsport is a cruel mistress as anyone involved in this adrenaline-fuelled circle knows all too well, and the Neil Woolridge Motorsport (NWM) Ford Rally-Raid Team certainly experienced the highs and lows of racing at the highest level at this weekend’s intense back-to-back Rounds 4 and 5 of the South African Rally-Raid Championship in the Free State town of Parys.
From the outset of the INGCO Parys 400, the opening race on Friday 16 August 2024, it was clear that reigning Overall Production Vehicle champions Gareth Woolridge and Boyd Dreyer (#200) were determined to give it everything. After an exceptionally short 1.5km qualifying loop, they landed up with a starting position of second following the Top 10 draw, but their rapid progress was halted on the opening loop when they quickly caught and were held up in the dust of a slower competitor ahead of them.
When they eventually found their way past, a subsequent puncture put them behind the same competitor again, and Gareth and Boyd ended a frustrating sixth overall for the race.
Team-mates Lance Woolridge and Kenny Gilbert (#234) picked up a suspension joint failure early during the first race loop, which led to the car rolling – fortunately without too much damage, but they elected to retire from the race so that the NWM team could set about repairing the car for Saturday’s all-new race.
Reinvigorated for the INGCO Vaal 400 the next day comprising a different route, the two Shell-sponsored and EcoBoost V6-powered Ford Rangers were on the pace from the start of the two 193km race loops. Gareth and Boyd steadily built up a lead during the opening stint, and held a 50-second lead over the second-placed Toyota of Henk Lategan and Brett Cummings when the crews returned to the race headquarters for the mandatory 30-minute service stop.
They continued this exceptional performance through the second loop, until 60km from the end of the race when they hit a rock on landing following a flat-out crest, which punctured a tyre. Despite replacing the wheel in record time, this incident cost them dearly and they ultimately finished in fourth place, 01:33 adrift of race winners Lategan/Cummings.
Left lamenting what could have been, it was a disappointing end to what was a stellar drive from the young NWM Ford pairing. “This has been the name of the game for our championship this year,” Gareth said. “We went from the top as champions in 2023 to good pace this year but small things have let us down. The car was brilliant today, and it felt like we found a new window with our suspension. I was really pushing hard and our Ranger took everything in its stride, from the tight switchbacks to the rough conditions and the more open terrain.
“After the puncture I drove like a man possessed, but there’s so little in it with a fast race like this, and with just 60km to go there just wasn’t enough time to claw the time back,” Gareth. “I’m really happy to see the pace of the car and the way the team is working together, but it’s incredibly frustrating to go from first to fourth in just a minute and a half.”
The technicians worked late into Friday night in near-freezing conditions expertly repairing the second NWM Ford Ranger Ultimate, ensuring that Lance and Kenny were ready for battle the next day. They immediately delivered a storming comeback, and were engaged in a thrilling tussle for the podium.
At the end of the first loop they were holding third place, just 22 seconds behind Lategan/Cummings, and 01:12 adrift of Gareth and Boyd in the lead. The fight continued throughout the even faster second loop, and Lance and Kenny looked set to finish second overall after their team-mates lost time with the puncture, but they were eventually relegated to third place by a mere one second by the Toyota crew of Guy Botterill and Dennis Murphy.
“It was a challenging weekend for us with the roll on Friday, which unfortunately gave our team a lot of extra work,” Lance said. “But to see the pace and competitiveness of our cars today was really rewarding, and any one of at least seven top cars could have won today. So to get a podium was a great way to end a tough weekend with the double-header.”
NWM Ford team principal Neil Woolridge echoed these sentiments. “Things didn’t go our way on Friday even though we had really good pace, and we were so very close to getting the win and having both cars on the podium on Saturday. It’s disappointing for Gareth’s victory to slip away right at the end, and Lance missing second place by one second is a bitter pill to swallow. However, it was a great performance from both cars, and very satisfying to see how competitive we are now.”
Unfortunately, the NWM-supported privateer team of Wors Prinsloo and Andre Vermeulen (#241) was sidelined with a mechanical issue before Friday’s race started, and weren’t able to compete at this event.
The next race takes place in Welkom in the Free State on 13 and 14 September 2024.
