Page 21 - Fourways Gardens December20

Motoring

saCCs + NWM + FOrD sa =
a Great Day

at the oFFiCe!

B y a lan Rosen M eye R & c h R is W all

I When you crack an invite from Ford South Africa to attend the Ford
know from experience that going
to a leg of the SA Cross Country
Championship Series has to be a Parys 400, a round of the SA Cross Country Championship Series

priority, having attended one of the
rallies, which involved the crew from Neil (SACCS), you clear your calendar and make sure you go.
Woolridge Motorsport (NWM), towards
the end of 2019. It was also held at the Ford Ranger #377 saw Gareth Woolridge to the COVID-19 restrictions, but there
Parys Airfield, so I knew what to expect at the wheel with Boyd Dreyer taking on were still enough people out and about
and where we’d be headed to see the navigation duties. tracking and supporting their favourite
racers fly by at speeds on gravel and veld drivers to create some small traffic jams
that will blow your mind. At last year’s event we were transported and to make the competitors perform
to the spectator points in a fleet of Ranger that much harder. There really are die
It’s especially scary when you’re standing Raptors, and this year we travelled in the hard motorsport fans in SA – my kinda
in the path of a Ford Ranger which is comfort of a few Ford Tourneo Customs, people!
barrelling towards you with such speed perfect long range people carriers. Of
that you know if the driver just blinks course, they weren’t as quick on the In between viewing points, we were
at the wrong time you could end up gravel, but having your own aircon vent treated to a fantastic catered lunch at the
sharing space with splattered bugs on blasting ice cold air on you when the crew’s pits and we were all gifted with
the grille. Of course, with the NWM crew, outside temps were in the mid-30s was the coolest Ford Performance/NWM/
they’re all pros so that won’t (shouldn’t) something I wouldn’t have traded on that Castrol Edge-branded camping chair –
happen. Ford Ranger #334 was piloted day. mine will accompany me to every event I
by Lance Woolridge with Elvéne Vonk (a attend from now on. A Q&A session with
name you really should know if you’re a There was definitely a noticeable members of NWM was pretty interesting,
fan of motorsport in SA) as the navigator. decrease in the number of spectators due especially learning how well the Rangers

Fourways Gardens • 19 • December 2020