BONUS – RUSTENBURG - NWM Ford Catrol’s Gareth Woolridge and Boyd Dreyer claimed third victory, clinched National SA Rally-Raid Championship titles and made history.
History was made at the Waterberg 400, the seventh and final round of the 2023 SA Rally-Raid Championship that took place on 10 and 11 November in the Waterberg area in Limpopo when Gareth Woolridge and Boyd Dreyer made Ford history by clinching the Overall Production Vehicle Championship and the FIA T1+ Championship with their NWM Ford Castrol Ranger T1+.
It was also the pair’s third race win in an intense season that produced exhilarating battles from start to finish.
The scorching weather conditions of the weekend were on par with extremely hot racing action while the route was praised by all as tough and challenging, but exceptionally enjoyable. With the results of the Pirelli Qualifying Race on Friday determining the starting grid for the first of the two 178 kilometre loops on Saturday, Woolridge/Dreyer had their work cut out for them as they were the eight vehicle off the line due to losing time with a flat tyre during the short qualifier.
Their title rivals, Guy Botterill, who aimed for his first SARRC title and navigator, Brett Cummings (Toyota Gazoo Racing Hilux DKR T1+) posted the fastest time on Friday, and as the leading 10 teams draw and select their starting positions, team-mates, Giniel de Villiers/Dennis Murphy, elected to open the road on Saturday morning followed by Botterill/Cummings with Woolridge/Dryer off in eighth place. Botterill/Cummings kept their lead during the first of the two loops albeit leading the Ford team by just 50 seconds at the halfway mark.
Gary Bertholdt/Henry Köhne (Toyota Hilux T1+) finished only 31 seconds ahead of De Villiers/Murphy who not only raced to secure a podium result in the championship, but also supported Botterill/Cummings in their title chase. It was close racing until the end with the next three teams finishing within a minute and 52 seconds of each other. Lance Trethewey/Adriaan Roets (King Price Xtreme CR6) rounded off the top five (05h 35min 02s) after a hot race due to a faulty air-conditioner that had them sweating in the car.
The 2023 SA Rally-Raid season ended on a high with a highly praised new event, which appears to have ticked all the boxes, while new champions were crowned after exciting and tough competition throughout the season. (Photos: Plan C Productions & Dave Ledbitter)
