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Dacia SUNDRIDER F. P.
This is the Dacia set to race in Dakar 2025

This is the Dacia set to race in Dakar 2025

A. Noguerol

Miércoles, 25 de diciembre 2024, 08:30

A partir del próximo 3 de enero, tres Dacia Sandrider competirán en el Dakar 2025. El nuevo Dacia Sunrider llega al Dakar 2025 con el rodaje bien hecho y una victoria en el mundial todoterreno en su palmarés.

As part of their preparation for the world's most demanding race and to comply with the rule requiring teams to participate in at least one world championship event to enter the Dakar, the Dacia Sandrider team took part in the Rallye de Marruecos in October.

With a route of 2,468 km, multiplied by the three cars driven by Nasser Al-Attiyah, Sébastien Loeb, and Cristina Gutiérrez, nearly 7,500 km of competition were added to the Sandrider, with 4,500 of those being timed, gathering vital data and experiences.

Al-Attiyah and his co-driver Boulanger triumphed after six stages filled with stone and sand desert, battling with several top teams who will be rivals in the Dakar. Loeb and Lurquin finished in second place, debuting the Dacia Sandrider in competition with a historic one-two. Cristina Gutiérrez's car finished the rally delayed by several issues, when she was seventh at the end of the penultimate stage.

The pairs Nasser Al-Attiyah/Édouard Boulanger, Cristina Gutiérrez/Pablo Moreno, and Sébastien Loeb/Fabian Lurquin embark on the world's toughest rally for two weeks (from January 3 to 17) with a vehicle capable of competing at the highest level.

After a series of intensive tests in the UK, France, and Morocco this summer, the "The Dacia Sandriders" team has proven the competitiveness of the Sandrider T1+ by participating in the Rallye de Marruecos, considered a mini-Dakar, where they achieved the team's first victory while gathering valuable data and learning lessons for their first Dakar. Next, we will see the 10 most important keys of the new Dacia 4x4 prototype.

Dacia Team F.P.

Prodrive engineers, Dacia's technological partner, have worked to create a lightweight car that reduces fuel consumption and improves agility in any situation. The design of each part and the selection of materials have allowed the total weight of the Sandrider to be reduced by about 15 kg compared to comparable prototypes. To achieve this, a lighter tubular chassis technique was used, discarding all non-essential body panels and employing carbon fibre for the rest.

The designers also avoided bulky aerodynamic elements and focused on shaping the body to produce low aerodynamic drag to reduce fuel consumption, with strategically placed engine cooling air intakes. Additionally, a very compact and lightweight V6 engine was chosen to favour the reduction of size and overall weight.

One of the features of the Sandrider, which becomes very evident when placed next to another T1+ prototype category vehicle, is its short overall length. For example, its 4.14 m length is 43 cm shorter than a street Dacia Duster. This short overall length is the result of the concept of a vehicle with minimal bodywork. To achieve this, engineers had to work on maximising the placement of all devices and mechanical parts, avoiding front and rear overhangs.

However, the Sandrider has a fairly long wheelbase of 3 meters to place the enormous 37-inch BF Goodrich tyres at the corners of the vehicle. This facilitates overcoming obstacles, its stability at high speed and in all types of inclinations, or the ability to have smoother landings in jumps.

The Dacia prepared for the desert sand F.P.

Dacia has opted for a V6 biturbo engine for the Sandrider, which allows for high power and performance with the most compact and lightweight design possible. Thanks to this, engineers have been able to place the engine and gearbox assembly quite far back in the car, in a front-central position, which improves weight distribution and reduces the volume of the front part.

Despite its compact design, the engine has a displacement of 3 litres and delivers 360 hp at 5,000 rpm and has a broad torque of 531 Nm at 4,750 rpm. The power and maximum torque are delivered at medium revs, perfect for moving the vehicle in dune situations and ensuring good reliability during the two weeks of Dakar competition.

To meet the high punctual demand for electrical energy from the different systems of the car, regardless of the engine's revs, an innovative electrical system has been implemented. With a power of 48V, it supplies enough energy to all onboard accessories, even in the most challenging conditions.

Combustible sintético y ecológico

Dacia is determined to lead affordable decarbonisation and fully supports the Dakar organisers' commitment to making motorsport more sustainable. The Sandrider engine runs on synthetic fuel supplied by Aramco. It is a simple solution in line with Dacia's values, as it is affordable and helps reduce environmental impact while being compatible with current fuel engines without costly adaptations.

The synthetic fuel developed by Aramco combines hydrogen, a renewable element extracted from water through electrolysis, with CO2 captured from the environment. This allows the Sandrider to run on a fuel with less carbon and to offset the CO2 emitted with that captured from the environment when creating the fuel. For Dacia, the Dakar Rally, a long endurance test, is the ideal testing ground for this technology.

The comfort of the occupants is critical in such an exhausting test for teams and mechanics. Engineers have developed an innovation to ensure greater comfort by introducing an infrared ray filter within the carbon fibre panels of the bodywork. This filter helps to more efficiently insulate solar energy from the interior, reducing the heating of the cabin when the vehicle is exposed to the sun. This innovation has led to a patent application.

Magnetic bodywork

One of the most common problems in the Dakar is punctures. Teams are forced to make multiple tyre changes during timed stages and must be able to do so as quickly and safely as possible.

To this end, the spare wheels have been placed on the car without fairing to facilitate handling, and a portion of the side bodywork has been magnetised to hold the wheel bolts during the change. This facilitates the wheel change task, always knowing where the bolts are, avoiding searching at the critical moment and losing them in the sandy terrain of the Dakar.

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todoalicante This is the Dacia set to race in Dakar 2025