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Puma Lubricants has partnered with Ford Performance and Neil Woolridge Motorsport (NWM) to sponsor the team’s 2017 South African Cross Country Series campaign.
The exciting new Ford Performance Puma Lubricants partnership, according to a statement issued on Thursday, will see the NWM-run squad fielding three Class T Ford Rangers for this season in what is widely regarded as one of the world’s most competitive domestic cross country championships.
The South African Cross Country Championship comprises six events for the 2017 season, starting off with the Lichtenburg round in the North West province on 31 March and 1 April.
One of the highlights of the year is always the three-day Botswana Desert Race, which runs over a total distance of 1 000km, and gives the teams the opportunity to score valuable double points.
Changes for this year comprise a much shorter sprint qualifying loop on the Friday afternoon. This determines the starting positions for the longer main race on the Saturday.
“Cross country racing is the toughest proving ground for the Built Ford Tough Ranger, and is the cornerstone of our motorsport programme in South Africa with the Ford Performance brand,” said Neale Hill, Director of Marketing, Sales and Service, Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa. “We are delighted to welcome Puma Lubricants to the team.
“This fantastic partnership with Ford Performance and Puma Lubricants will allow Neil Woolridge Motorsport to up the ante even further in its efforts to secure the fiercely competitive Class T Production Vehicle championship this year, and we wish them every success.”
Puma Energy operates across 49 countries and five continents, and has put over two decades of knowledge and expertise into its lubricant offer. Puma Lubricants are marketed across Africa, Central America, and in Asia-Pacific.
“Puma Energy and more specifically its Lubricants division is extremely excited to be a part of this sponsorship,” said Richard Beckers, Lubricants Manager – Africa, Puma Energy. “The opportunity to demonstrate to the motor racing industry the quality and performance of our lubricants is a great honour for our brand.”
“We have always stood for quality, performance and reliability which are attributes we share with Ford Performance. It is for this reason that we are proud to support the Ford Performance NWM team for the 2017 SA Cross Country Series.”
Neil Woolridge Motorsport
NWM has enjoyed a long and proud association with Ford, having built a total 30 of Ford race vehicles since 2000.
Based in Pietermaritzburg, NWM is the global manufacturer and supplier of the FIA Class T1-specification Ranger cross country vehicle programme, which was developed in collaboration with Ford Performance in the United States. The team has produced 16 vehicles to date as part of this programme, which compete locally and internationally.
Ford Performance NWM proved a formidable contender for the 2016 South African Cross Country Championship in Class T for Production Vehicles. The team lost out on the title by a mere 68 sec in the nail-biting final race of the year, ending the season with second and fourth places overall.
Recent international highlights from 2016 included first and second places on the seven-day Rally dos Sertões in Brazil, an impressive 4th overall at the Baja Spain, second on the Baja Portugal and a solid 20th place finish for a privately-entered Ranger on the punishing 2017 Dakar Rally.
“We have proven our pedigree, and with the backing of Ford Performance and Puma Lubricants, the team is more confident than ever of being the leading contender in Class T and bringing the title home in 2017,” said Neil Woolridge, team principal of Neil Woolridge Motorsport, and a former multiple off-road motorcycle and production vehicle champion.
Besides Ford Performance and Puma Lubricants, the NWM team is also supported by Mastercraft, DeWalt, Sign Solutions, Parklane Superspar, Tiger Wheel & Tyre, Ironman 4×4 and Shatterprufe.
Competitive driver line-up
“For this year, we have a young and dynamic driver line-up that have proven themselves among the top competitors in the sport,” Woolridge commented. “We’re also very excited to add a third vehicle for an ex-factory rally driver to give Ford Performance, Puma Lubricants and NWM an even higher profile and a stronger challenge for the cross country championship.
“Chris Visser will not be competing with us this year, and we would like to thank him for his loyal service and dedication over the past six years as part of the NWM team,” Woolridge added. “Chris won numerous races over the years and finished as runner-up in Class SP in 2012 and 2013. He fought incredibly hard for the title last year under the most difficult circumstances, and although it didn’t go our way in the thrilling final race, he did the team proud.”
Lance Woolridge and Ward Huxtable (T34)
After stepping aside from regular competition last year to assist father Neil with managing the growing motorsport business, Lance Woolridge returns to the hot seat once again. Lance began racing in 2010, finishing second in the Class E championship that year. He gave the current-generation 5.0-litre V8-powered Ford Ranger its dream debut in 2013, winning its first race and remaining one of the front-running competitors ever since.
Lance made an impact on the international stage last year by finishing an impressive second overall and picking up a stage win on the seven-day Rally dos Sertões cross country race in Brazil.
He is partnered with regular co-driver Ward Huxtable, who will be competing in his 11th full season in cross country racing. Ward won the Class E co-drivers titles in 2006 and 2010, and navigated last year for Chris Visser in the Ford Performance Ranger, ending second overall by the narrowest of margins to the eventual winners.
Gareth Woolridge and Boyd Dreyer (T77)
Gareth Woolridge will be tackling his third season in the premier Class T championship in a second Ford Performance Puma Lubricants Ranger, along with co-driver Boyd Dreyer. Gareth started out in the regional KwaZulu-Natal cross country series and picked up two consecutive titles, before making the switch to the national series in Class G for side-by-side all-terrain vehicles. He led the championship right to the final race, until a mechanical problem dropped him out of contention in the season finale, finishing the year second overall.
Since making their Class T debut in the mighty V8-powered Ranger in 2015, Gareth and Boyd have shown remarkable pace and consistency. They already have several podium finishes to their credit and an impressive fourth overall in the 2016 championship, despite missing one of the races.
Henk Lategan and Barry White (T17)
After being selected as one of the young stars of the former Volkswagen works rally team from 2013 to 2015, Henk Lategan has switched to cross country racing in 2017 and will be competing in the third Ranger in Ford Performance and Puma Lubricants colours.
Henk started rallying in 2009 at the age of 15. His first full season in national rallying followed in 2011, and he has been partnered with co-driver Barry White since the end of that year.
He took the significant leap up to the premier S2000 rally class in 2012 as a privateer, and landed a works drive with VW for the following three years. This stint also included selected international events, competing in two rounds of the World Rally Championship and contesting one event in the European series.
This will be Henk and Barry’s first season in cross country racing, but the talented pairing has proven their ability to adapt quickly, and will undoubtedly soon be competing at the sharp end of the field.
