Johannesburg: It’s all change for South Africa’s national off-road racing series this year. Previously known as the SA Cross Country Series, it will be called the SA Rally-Raid Championship. And with a new name comes a new FIA T1+ premier class for the series.
Ford South Africa has just unveiled its new T1+ contender. It’s an extensively revised version of the FIA-Class Ranger that made its debut last year, claiming two wins and coming second in the championship.
Ford SA is aiming to raise the bar with the new Class FIA T1+ Ranger, which is bigger and significantly wider than the current model.
The vehicle complies with the new T1+ regulations that were introduced for the 2022 Dakar Rally, which forms part of the FIA World Rally-Raid Championship.
The new racing bakkie will be driven by Lance Woolridge and Elvéne Vonk, along with teammates Gareth Woolridge and Boyd Dreyer.
Ford says its new T1+ Ranger represents a radical shift in concept and execution. As with the 2021 version, the new bodywork and cabin is hand-crafted using a hi-tech carbon fibre and aramid weave.
Many chassis changes were made to accommodate the new bodywork and 70mm increase in wheel travel, while the 3.5-litre V6 EcoBoost engine has been fine tuned. Running in accordance with the same performance rules, the engine produces 300kW and 600Nm. In line with the new international rally-raid rules, top speed is electronically limited to 170km/h, rather than the previous 180km/h.
“We are delighted that the organisers of the South African championship have aligned our series with the FIA World Rally-Raid Championship, which will give us greater exposure on a global scale, and raises the bar further for competitors,” said team principal Neil Woolridge.
“The T1+ category was introduced for the 2022 Dakar Rally to level the playing field between the two-wheel drive and four-wheel drive vehicles, standardising the larger 37-inch tyres and longer-travel suspension that had given the lighter 2WD vehicles a major advantage in recent years,” Woolridge added. “As our championship is inextricably linked with global competition, it’s a natural evolution for us to progress to the T1+ rules in South Africa.”
The South African Rally-Raid Championship kicks off on March 25 and 26 with the Mpumalanga 400 in Dullstroom.