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Ford Gets Tough For Dakar 2014

Ford Gets Tough For Dakar 2014

Date: 2013-11-08
Taking on the toughest off-road race in the world is no mean feat, but Ford Racing has gone all out to produce what is sure to be one of the most competitive vehicles in Dakar Rally 2014.

Produced by the team from Neil Woolridge Motorsport (NWM) in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal, the Ford Racing Rangers have been designed, developed and built locally to the highest standards, using the most advanced materials and processes currently available.

At the core of the Ranger's design and build is a sophisticated chassis jig, the only one of its kind in South Africa, and among a mere handful in the world.

"Considering the Ranger cross country racing programme as a whole, the chassis jig has taken the most time, required the most technical input and cost the most," explains Neil Woolridge, head of NWM.

"But it's like building a house," he says. "If you don't have the foundations right you can't do the rest properly, so developing the best chassis manufacturing system has been a major focal point of the project from the outset."

The deadlines are approaching fast, with the European-based equipment and vehicles being loaded on the special Dakar Rally ship that leaves Le Havre in France at the end of November, and the two Rangers and spares being flown from SA to Argentina in the middle of December.

"It's a very busy time for the team, but the motivation is at an all-time high," says Woolridge. "It has always been our dream to go to Dakar, and very soon that dream will come true."