The wet Mpumalanga 400 with the NWM Ford Ranger T1+

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Lance Woolridge crashed out from the lead after the halfway point of the race.
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The Ranger T1+ experienced misfortune but showed good pace to compete with the Hilux for the season.
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A drenched water crossing from the overnight rainfall.
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A 20 km qualifying loop determined the starting order.
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The first competition that the T1+ Ford bakkie has competed in.
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The Neil Woolridge Motorsport bivouac.
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Co-driver Elvéne Vonk strapping herself into the new Ford Ranger T1+.
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Racecar reminders.
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Other than some cosmetic features, the T1+ category shares very little with their production counterparts.
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The second day of the Mpumalanga 400 was slippery and wet.
Motorsport
▪ Posted
By: Alex Shahini

The first event of the 2022 South African Rally-Raid Championship has come to a close after a successful Mpumalanga 400 in the surrounds of a damp Dullstroom. The inaugural Ford Ranger T1+ prepared by NWM looks set for a promising season despite some misfortune over the weekend.

Mpumalanga 400
A 20 km qualifying loop determined the starting order.

The two day rally-raid which took place over the 25th and 26th March around the hilly terrain of Dullstroom ushered in a new era of T1+ vehicles to the local championship. These are the same cutting-edge vehicles which compete for the top step of the podium at the Dakar Rally. 

Mpumalanga 400
Other than some cosmetic features, the T1+ category shares very little with their production counterparts.

The 20 kilometre Pirelli Qualifying Race on Friday had teams and drivers competing to open the dusty 85 kilometre stage on the same day while dense overnight rainfall created muddy slosh and tricky conditions for the two 150 kilometre loops of the Saturday stage.

Mpumalanga 400
A drenched water crossing from the overnight rainfall.

Former victor of the Mpumalanga 400 and driver of the new NWM (Neil Woolridge Motorsport) Ford Ranger T1+; Lance Woolridge with co-driver Elvéne Vonk provided a strong challenge to the experienced and Dakar-proven Toyota Hilux T1+.

Mpumalanga 400
Lance Woolridge crashed out from the lead after the halfway point of the race.

Unfortunately, after snatching the lead and holding it up to the halfway mark of the 400 kilometre rally raid event, the pair collided with a tree after a slippery section from the intermittent rainfall during the night and were forced to retire. 

Mpumalanga 400
Co-driver Elvéne Vonk strapping herself into the new Ford Ranger T1+.

While misfortune saw the retirement of the leading Ford, Gareth Woolridge and Boyd Dreyer brought their unproven T1+ bakkie home in fourth place overall with a time of 06:54:13, missing the podium by just eight minutes on account of some mechanical challenges throughout the event. 

Mpumalanga 400
The Ranger T1+ experienced misfortune but showed good pace to compete with the Hilux for the season.

Privateer NWM Ford Ranger T1 bakkies were present in representing the brand and three of the four Class entries of Neil Woolridge Motorsport finished in the top 10 with Wors Prinsloo and André Vermeulen taking the class victory in the inaugural race. The Ford Ranger finished in seventh overall with a time of 07:07:10.

Mpumalanga 400
The first competition that the T1+ Ford bakkie has competed in.

With the Mpumalanga 400 behind us, the next event on the calendar of the 2022 South African Rally-Raid Championship will have competitors and their teams travelling to Eston in KwaZulu-Natal for the Sugarbelt 400 on the 29th and 30th of April. 

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