Evo Plus Ford Ranger out to challenge Gazoo Racing Toyota Hilux
All systems go for improved racing bakkie at South African Safari Rally based at Sun City.
The battle between the Ford Ranger and Toyota Hilux goes beyond showroom floors and the roads of South Africa. The two marques also go head-to-head in serious competition off the road in global rally-raid events.
Using almost 30 years of competition and design experience in the rally-raid world, coupled with cutting-edge technology and a fresh new look, Neil Woolridge Motorsport (NWM) introduced its new NWM Evo Plus Ford Ranger to the market, for sale and rental worldwide.
Two NWM Evo Plus Ford Rangers will debut at the third round of the World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC), the South African Safari Rally, which will take place in NWM's home country and backyard from 18 to 24 May 2025.
Brazilian Marcos Baumgart, who makes a return to the NWM paddock after spending some years driving a mix of the Toyota and Prodrive Hunter T1+ vehicles, drives the first car.
ALSO READ: Wraps come off Ford's 2025 Rally Raid Series challenger
Woolridge pilots second car
2023 South African Rally-Raid champion Gareth Woolridge pilots the second vehicle. Team partners and vehicle livery for this event will be launched in the week leading up to the event, which will be based at the Sun City Resort in the North-West Province.
In rally-raid, longevity of performance is key. NWM has invested heavily into ensuring the maximum performance from the all-new design. All this while functionality, reliability and affordability remain top considerations on the Ford Ranger.
'Two major points we identified for improvement on our current NWM Ford Ranger was firstly our suspension geometry from a performance point of view. And secondly our differentials from a reliability point of view', said Neil Woolridge, NWM director.
'In this, we took a step back to analyse exactly where we want to improve, what type of car we want to offer to the market, and how we can ensure the Ford Ranger keeps winning races and championships around the world.
ALSO READ: The workings of a Rally-Raid team: Inside Ford-backed NWM
Big changes under the skin
'While the NWM Evo Plus Ford Ranger carries over a lot of the race-proven technology and components from its predecessor, it does boast a completely new chassis. From the outside, other than the widened and redesigned side sills, the everyday fan won't notice much of a difference with the EVO Plus Ford Ranger at first glance, but under that carbon skin, it is all changed,' Woolridge explains.
'We have done just over 2 000km of testing and development thus far and acknowledge we may not have the ultimate set up for every terrain, but we have a vehicle that will take anything you throw at it,' adds Gareth Woolridge, NWM's technical head.
The tried and tested Ford 3.5-litre V6 EcoBoost twin-turbocharged petrol engine carries over into the NWM Evo Plus Ford Ranger. Along with the proven SADEV SC924 Evo gearbox, the pairing moves back a further 150mm within the newly designed chassis. This allows for an even better centre of gravity and a near-perfect weight distribution within the car.
Rally-ready Ford Ranger
The NWM Ford Ranger can also use a Ford 5.0-litre V8 Coyote naturally-aspirated engine. It is best suited for customers who prefer the ease of maintenance of the simpler powertrain system. As well as those looking to run the vehicle in domestic championships.
'We can proudly offer a top-level vehicle that will be competitive anywhere in the world. It is made with the best-quality products in the world. At a far more affordable price than our competitors,' says Neil Woolridge.
'These days, with motorsport getting more and more expensive, we really set out to make sure that our car has the highest level of build quality, reliability and performance for the driver that wants to win races or just go out and have fun. Yet the NWM Evo Plus Ford Ranger is still available at a price that our competitors producing rally-raid cars in other countries simply cannot match, and that's a big feather in our cap.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
TimesLIVE
a day ago
- TimesLIVE
Denny Hamlin pulls out third win of year at Michigan
Denny Hamlin is on baby watch, but he had one more work day to take care of Sunday. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver made his way past William Byron with four laps to go and had enough gas to hang on and win the FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan. Racing a snappy purple No 11 Toyota, Hamlin passed Byron's No 24 Chevrolet with four circuits left on the 3.21km track, and Byron ran out of fuel coming to the white flag. The Hendrick Motorsports driver landed in 28th place. In delivering Toyota its second straight MIS win, Hamlin beat Ford's Chris Buescher by 1.09 seconds for his third Cup Series win this season and third at the Michigan track. His last victory there came in June 2011. "I wanted to get the lead, (Byron) was doing a great job defending," Hamlin said before taunting the crowd's mixture of cheers and boos. "Daddy, I'm sorry, but I beat your favourite driver, folks." When asked who the driver was, Hamlin, who led only five laps, said: "All of them." Hamlin and fiancée Jordan Fish are expecting their third child. Hamlin said he was prepared to leave the race if she went into labour during the first 50 laps. Hamlin won for the 57th time in his 701st career race, becoming only the 10th driver to win after making 700 starts. "We've been so fast the entire year but haven't been finishing for one reason or another," said Hamlin, 44. "It feels good to come here to Michigan, where we've been so close over the years, and get a victory. Such a gratifying day to restart 11th, 12th, something like that, and then drive to the front." Ty Gibbs and Bubba Wallace were third and fourth, respectively. Gibbs is Hamlin's JGR teammate and Wallace drives for 23XI Racing, which Hamlin co-owns. Kyle Larson finished fifth. Byron grabbed the lead away from polesitter Chase Briscoe on lap 12 of Stage 1, but Buescher passed Byron on lap 36 of the 45-lap segment and earned his first stage win of 2025. Byron finished second while Hamlin, Briscoe and Josh Berry completed the top five in the incident-free stage. The first caution for cause waved on lap 60 when Noah Gragson and John Hunter Nemechek, running inside the top 20, spun on the back stretch to bunch up the field again, but seven laps later a hard wreck occurred in turn 2. Riding in the bottom lane, last week's winner Ryan Blaney tapped Cole Custer's No41, triggering a mess that ended up with Alex Bowman's No 48 Chevrolet crashing violently nose-first into the wall and Briscoe spinning after being clipped by Custer's Ford. That prompted a red-flag condition for cleanup. "Yeah, that hurt a lot," Bowman said. "It was probably top of the board on hits I've taken, and, unfortunately, I've taken a lot of hits." As Stage 2 neared its end, Blaney slapped the wall on his own in the No 12 Ford and spun down the speedway, an unfortunate fifth caution for Christopher Bell, who pitted shortly before Blaney's mishap. The closing laps of the stage featured a spirited battle between Byron, Tyler Reddick, Austin Cindric and Carson Hocevar. Byron made the winning pass on the final lap for the stage win while Cindric was able to hold off Michigan native Hocevar for second. Hocevar took the point on lap 152, but the Spire Motorsports driver suffered a flat left rear tyre with 19 circuits left, turning over the lead to Byron. Hocevar finished 29th.
The Citizen
3 days ago
- The Citizen
Territory range expands in SA with Ford's new Dark Edition
Ford has expanded its Territory SUV range with a new Dark Edition, offering a more aggressive look and minor interior updates. Here's what's new… Looking for a new or used Ford? Find it here with CARmag! Positioned above the current Titanium trim, the Dark Edition doesn't change anything mechanically. It still features the 1.8l turbocharged EcoBoost engine, producing 138kW and 318N.m, which is sent to the front wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox. The four drive modes (Eco, Normal, Sport and Mountain) carry over unchanged. The visual differences are where this edition aims to stand out. Black finishes replace most of the standard chrome and silver trim, including the grille, mirror caps, roof rails and skid plates. The 19-inch wheels are painted black, and there's a dark 'Territory' badge at the rear. Paint options include white, grey, black and red. Inside, the cabin gets a charcoal headliner, black dashboard and door inserts, and black leather upholstery with contrasting orange stitching. Two 12.3-inch displays handle the instrument cluster and infotainment, while wireless phone charging, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto are standard. USB ports are scattered throughout the cabin. Related: Living With It – Ford Territory 1.8T Trend AT [Wrap Up] Official pricing: Territory Dark Edition 1.8L EcoBoost 7AT – R733 000 A key addition is a 360-degree camera, which joins an already long list of driver assistance systems. These include adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go, blind spot monitoring, lane-keep assist and automatic emergency braking. Six airbags are standard, and Ford continues to offer its usual mix of warranty and service plans, with optional extensions. The Dark Edition doesn't transform the Territory, but it gives buyers a slightly more distinctive option in a crowded compact SUV market without pushing the price too far up. It will likely appeal to those wanting something more eye-catching without stepping outside the familiar Territory package. Click here and browse thousands of new and used vehicles here with CARmag! The post Territory Range Expands in SA With Ford's New Dark Edition appeared first on CAR Magazine. Breaking news at your fingertips… Follow Caxton Network News on Facebook and join our WhatsApp channel. Nuus wat saakmaak. Volg Caxton Netwerk-nuus op Facebook en sluit aan by ons WhatsApp-kanaal.
TimesLIVE
4 days ago
- TimesLIVE
From a Porsche to a Merc, Special Tribunal freezes R20m in assets linked to irregular Transnet contracts
From a Porsche 718 Boxster to a Mercedes-Benz V250d Avantgarde 3.2 T, Volkswagen Amarok, Toyota Hilux, Porsche Macan S Diesel and Mercedes-Benz C200, this is the list of luxury vehicles that are part of the R20.3m in assets linked to alleged irregular Transnet contracts frozen by the Special Tribunal. The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) and Transnet obtained a preservation order from the Special Tribunal to freeze around R20.3m worth of movable and immovable properties. These include luxury vehicles and high-value properties. SIU spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago said the action is part of an investigation into three allegedly irregular contracts for property valuation services with Transnet SOC Limited. He said the interim order follows an SIU investigation that uncovered significant alleged irregularities in the awarding of contracts. The order interdicts MM Real Estate, Humphrey Tshepo Moyo, Neo Shown Matlala and any other party from selling, disposing, leasing, transferring, encumbering (including by granting rights of retention), transferring, donating or dealing in any manner whatsoever to the frozen properties pending the finalisation of civil proceedings. The preserved items are the restrained properties linked to MM Real Estate, which include the Porsche 718 Boxster, a Mercedes-Benz V250d Avantgarde 3.2 T, a Volkswagen Amarok and a Toyota Hilux.
