Ford South Africa has revealed the V6-powered Ranger racing bakkie that will compete in the premier production vehicle category of the South African Cross Country Series.
Set to be run by the Ford Castrol Cross Country Team, the FIA-class vehicle was purpose-designed and built by Neil Woolridge Motorsport. The Ranger will be the first vehicle in its class competing locally under the FIA’s latest international cross country regulations for turbocharged petrol engines.
Power comes from the Blue Oval brand’s twin-turbo 3,5-litre V6 petrol unit (replacing the previous 5,0-litre V8), here tuned to meet the FIA regulations for the class. That means the six-cylinder EcoBoost mill makes a peak power figure of 300 kW, with maximum torque rated at “around 600 N.m”.
The Ranger racer boasts exposed carbon-fibre bodywork, high-performance dual BOS dampers and fully independent suspension (the previous version had a solid rear axle). A new SADEV six-speed sequential gearbox has also been fitted, weighing in some 10 kg lighter than the previous unit.
“Ford’s involvement in the South African Cross Country Series is an important element of our Ranger marketing initiatives, and it’s particularly exciting to launch a brand new model to compete in the premier category so the team can challenge for overall wins and championship titles,” said Neale Hill, managing director of Ford South Africa.
“We have a long association with Neil Woolridge Motorsport which has been our partner in cross country racing for the past 24 years, and the team has done Ford proud with numerous race victories and consecutive Class T championships in 2018 and 2019. We can’t wait to see the all-new Ford Ranger in action this year, competing head-on with our rivals and setting the pace at the front of the field.”
