Historic Win For Team Ford Racing
· Team Ford Racing secure first ever one-two finish for a diesel powered vehicle in the 2012 Absa Off Road Championship
· Chris Visser and Japie Badenhorst take first victory of the 2012 season
· Lance Woolridge and Ward Huxtable claim third SP podium in eight races
· Ford secure coveted manufacturers award for the second time
PRETORIA
,
South Africa
, 12 March, 2012
- Team Ford Racing started the 2012 Absa Off Road Championship in spectacular fashion, scoring a one-two finish at the season opening at the RFS
Magalies 400.
Former South African champions Chris Visser and Japie Badenhorst scored a comfortable victory ahead of team-mates Lance Woolridge and Ward Huxtable in
the sister Ford Ranger TDCi.
The result will go down in the history books as the first one-two finish for diesel powered vehicles in the Absa series. Ford also claimed the coveted
manufacturer's award thanks to the exceptional results delivered by the Ford entrants at the event. While Ford boasts two manufacturer entrants there
are also numerous privateer entrants flying the flag for the Blue Oval. Team Ford Racing supports many of these privateers with technical back up and
Ranger parts.
Visser and Badenhorst dominated the weekend's proceedings crossing the line several minutes ahead of their second placed teammates.
"We were excited about the car in pre-season testing and we had a great race," said Visser. "It was hot, dusty with a very tight and tricky route and
the key was not to make mistakes."
The pair got their challenge off to a flying start during Friday's prologue session, where they secured a second place start position for Saturday's
race. From there it was plain sailing for the team as they enjoyed a flawless run to the flag.
"It's always nice to win but this was a great team effort and Lance and Ward, along with the technical crew, did a great job. We could not have asked
for a better start to the year."
Woolridge and Huxtable proved they will also be gunning for top honours this season. As the youngest driver in the premier SP class, Woolridge cut his
teeth in the SP class last season and continues to show steady improvement.
The young Ford driver put in a solid performance during Friday's prologue eventually finishing in fifth place. On Saturday he was able to move up the
ranks to secure his third podium since he joined the premier class less than a year ago.
"It was a dream result for us and for the whole team - they did an amazing job this weekend," commented Woolridge. "We now head into the rest of the
season with a strong points tally and a great deal of confidence."
The next round of the championship takes place on 13 - 14 April, leaving the team a month to prepare to defend their current championship status.
"We demonstrated the pace and the reliability of the Ford Ranger this weekend but we can't let our guard down now," says team manager Neil Woolridge.
"We'll be working hard in the coming weeks to ensure we retain our current advantage."