In a transfer to redefine its picture and enter the world of motorsports, Dacia, recognized for its no-frills inexpensive automobiles for the plenty, has introduced its participation within the Dakar Rally and the World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC) beginning in 2025. The model goals to sort out a number of the world’s most difficult terrains with the introduction of its contender, the Sandrider.
Impressed by the 2022 Manifesto idea automotive, the Romanian model collaborated with the sporting experience of Renault Group and UK-based Prodrive to develop the race machine particularly for rally-raids. The prototype, designed with a eager deal with agility and weight within the Final T1+ class, can be essentially the most highly effective car in Dacia’s whole historical past.
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Energy comes from a 3.0-liter V6 twin-turbo engine with a direct injection engine producing 360 horsepower at 5,000 rpm. The mill runs on artificial gasoline, which is a mixture of renewable hydrogen and sequestered CO2. A six-speed sequential transmission sends the ability to all 4 wheels. There’s a 17-inch aluminum wheel fitted with a BF Goodrich 37-inch tire on every nook.
Aerodynamics additionally performed an important function within the Sandrider’s growth, with engineers reaching a ten % discount in drag and a 40 % lower in elevate in comparison with comparable prototypes. The emphasis on warmth administration in excessive circumstances led to the mixing of anti-infrared pigments within the carbon physique panels filed as a patented course of.
The Sandrider is about to bear in depth growth checks in numerous international locations earlier than making its motorsport debut on the Rallye du Maroc 2024, a part of the World Rally-Raid Championship. Dacia’s official W2RC group, the Dacia Sandriders, will take part of their first Dakar Rally and different legs of the World Rally-Raid Championship in 2025.
The group has a outstanding lineup of skilled and proficient drivers. Sébastien Loeb, a nine-time World Rally Championship winner, might be joined by co-driver Fabian Lurquin. Cristina Gutierrez Herrero, an completed cross-country rally driver, and her co-driver Pablo Moreno Huete convey their experience to the group. Nasser Al-Attiyah, a five-time World Cup winner for Cross-Nation Rallies and two-time World Rally-Raid Championship winner, provides a contact of Dakar legend to the roster.
