South Racing continues the development of the DMAS South Racing Ford Ranger by entering two cars in next week’s six-day OiLibya Rally of Morocco, round eight of the FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies, which starts in Agadir on Sunday, October 2 and finishes at Erfoud on October 7.
The car has set encouraging stage times on several cross-country events this season, most notably with Spaniard Xavier Pons at the wheel and inside the top three on certain stages in August’s Baja Poland. DMAS South Racing will run cars for the Chilean driver Hernan Garces and the Czech pairing of Tomáš Ouřednīček and Pavel Vaculīc.
Garces returns to action with navigator Juan Pablo Latrach after finishing the gruelling Silk Rally across Asia with fellow Chilean Luis Eguigeran. Garces and Latrach achieved their best result of the season together back in April, when they guided the DMAS South Racing Ford Ranger to a fine eighth overall in Qatar’s five-day Sealine Cross-Country Rally.
Ouřednīček and Pavel Vaculīc crewed a DMAS South Racing Ford Ranger to 11th position in July’s Baja Spain Aragón and 12th in Poland in August. The Eastern European duo continue to set competitive times in the Ford and are relishing the prospect of challenging for honours across the demanding deserts of northern and central Morocco.
Jürgen and Maximilian Schröder reached the finish of the demanding Silk Way Rally in a Nissan Navara run by South Racing and the German duo return to action with the team to drive the Nissan again in Morocco.
“We are back in North Africa for the penultimate race of the FIA World Cup. Hernan and Jürgen return to action after the Silk Way and Tomas is looking forward to his first cross-country event in the Ranger. Morocco is a great test of the cars and crews and will allow the complete team to prepare for the Dakar.
“It has been a busy year with no sign of letting up, Morocco is the 14th race for the team this year. We have a great team who make this happen,” said South Racing’s managing director Scott Abraham.
Managed and co-ordinated by the Neveu-Pelletier Organisation (NPO), the Rally of Morocco takes place under the patronage of His Majesty The King Mohammed VI. Competitive action gets underway with a timed super special stage of approximately seven kilometres in Agadir on Sunday (October 2).
Two short stages of around 70km and 50km follow near the sea on Monday (October 3) and then the route heads inland towards the Moroccan desert for four further selective sections of 291km, 315km, 319km and 230km on October 4-7, with the route heading from Agadir to a finish in Erfoud via the notorious Erg Chebbi.
In a total planned route of 1,882km, 1,317km will be timed against the clock over gruelling desert terrain that includes tricky dune crossings, rocky terrain and demanding navigation.