Photo: NWM
Ford has a strong presence in motorsport, thanks to its Ford Performance division and the Ranger is a well-known presence in rally-raid competitions like the Dakar Rally. For the 2022 season, Ford Performance South Africa built an extreme version of the Ford Ranger to compete in rally-raid championships.
From the very first look at this Ford Ranger, you realize this is no regular pickup truck. Despite resembling the series Ranger, the monster put up by Neil Woolridge Motorsport (NWM) for the NWM Ford Castrol Team has been heavily modified to race in the South African Rally-Raid Championship and other rally raid competitions.
Compared to the last year's rally-raid NWM Ranger, the new version is 11.8 inches (300 mm) wider and features 37-inch tires hiding under the aggressively flared wheel arches. The 17-inch wheels allow for the larger 13.9-inch (355 mm) disc brakes. These are air-cooled front and rear, while the latter is also water-cooled to reduce brake fade during intense racing.
Of course, suspension travel is extremely important in rally-raid, so the NWM Ranger got new upper and lower control arms and a longer driveshaft. These modifications allow for increased wheel travel, to 13.7 inches (350 mm).
The bodywork and the cabin have been hand-crafted using a high-tech carbon fiber and aramid weave which is both exceptionally strong and very light. The overall design hasn’t changed compared to the last year’s racer. This includes the distinctive butterfly-style doors, one of the NWM Ranger’s trademark features.
Under the hood, there’s the same Ford 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 carried over from the last year’s rally-raid model. It develops 402 horsepower (300 kilowatts) and 442 pound-feet (600 Newton-meters) of torque. In line with the new international rally-raid rules, the speed is electronically limited to 105 mph (170 kph), down from the last year’s 112 mph (180 kph).
The monster Ranger runs in the newly introduced T1+ class that debuted at this year’s Dakar Rally. This category aims to level the playing field between the two-wheel drive and the four-wheel drive vehicles, standardizing the larger 37-inch tires and longer-travel suspension.
Compared to the last year's rally-raid NWM Ranger, the new version is 11.8 inches (300 mm) wider and features 37-inch tires hiding under the aggressively flared wheel arches. The 17-inch wheels allow for the larger 13.9-inch (355 mm) disc brakes. These are air-cooled front and rear, while the latter is also water-cooled to reduce brake fade during intense racing.
Of course, suspension travel is extremely important in rally-raid, so the NWM Ranger got new upper and lower control arms and a longer driveshaft. These modifications allow for increased wheel travel, to 13.7 inches (350 mm).
The bodywork and the cabin have been hand-crafted using a high-tech carbon fiber and aramid weave which is both exceptionally strong and very light. The overall design hasn’t changed compared to the last year’s racer. This includes the distinctive butterfly-style doors, one of the NWM Ranger’s trademark features.
Under the hood, there’s the same Ford 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 carried over from the last year’s rally-raid model. It develops 402 horsepower (300 kilowatts) and 442 pound-feet (600 Newton-meters) of torque. In line with the new international rally-raid rules, the speed is electronically limited to 105 mph (170 kph), down from the last year’s 112 mph (180 kph).
The monster Ranger runs in the newly introduced T1+ class that debuted at this year’s Dakar Rally. This category aims to level the playing field between the two-wheel drive and the four-wheel drive vehicles, standardizing the larger 37-inch tires and longer-travel suspension.
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