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The Dakar Rally is among the hardest aggressive motorsport occasions on the planet, testing each driver, navigator and their machines. Brutal landscapes that vary from enormous sand dunes that each one look the identical and stretch so far as the attention can see, to jagged rock-covered terrain which relentlessly punishes tyres and suspension parts.
My latest go to to Prodrive offered a super alternative to delve extra into their Hunter program, however sadly all of the competitors variants have been in numerous levels of disassembly forward of the subsequent spherical of the World Rally-Raid Championship. Fortunately, further photos have been offered by our very personal Mark Riccioni, who lined the 2022 Dakar Rally, and Prodrive have kindly shared a few of their very own photographs too.
The Dakar Rally is the brainchild of Thierry Sabin, who in 1977 was impressed to create the off-road marathon whereas misplaced out within the Libyan desert throughout a rally occasion. “A problem for many who go. A dream for many who keep behind,” was the motto Sabin coined for the occasion.
A spirit of journey and camaraderie has attracted 1000’s of entrants over the Dakar Rally’s 45-year historical past, they usually competed not simply towards others, however to show themselves worthy of the mammoth problem.
Regardless of insurmountable odds, 578 autos entered the gruelling 6,500km race that ran for 2 weeks from January 1 this yr. Sébastien Loeb and Nani Romi have been on the helm of the Prodrive-run rivals, tackling the Dakar in what’s formally referred to as the Prodrive Hunter T1+ and competing below the Bahrain Raid Xtreme (BRX) crew banner.
Regulation updates for the 2021 season present the vehicles as they sit at present. A slew of adjustments, together with bigger 37-inch wheels and elevated suspension journey for the four-wheel drive entrants have been allowed, as this has closed the hole to the two-wheel drive entrants, making for nearer racing.
These specification adjustments necessitated an entire host of different upgrades, with the drivetrain being reworked to manage and the design penned by Callum Design Studio (based by famend designer Ian Callum) altered to cowl the bigger wheel/tyre package deal, amongst different delicate alterations.
Twin Reiger dampers sit on every nook, permitting for 350mm of journey.
The hardly-visible Ford 3.5L EcoBoost twin-turbo V6 outputs round 400hp with a restrictor and sits in a front-mid format, properly behind the entrance struts for optimum stability. The 480-litre gas cell is positioned behind the cockpit in order to not upset the burden stability an excessive amount of as its contents deplete.
With extra give attention to the atmosphere coming into motorsport, Prodrive solely runs the Hunter on a biofuel developed in-house from agricultural waste and atmospheric carbon. Cumulatively, this helps the entrants emit 80% much less greenhouse gasses over the course of the occasion and is totally backwards suitable with common inside combustion engines, that means it’s going to finally trickle down into different merchandise, each competitors and road-based.
Inside it’s all enterprise. Controls for each driver and navigator are all inside attain and particular to their respective roles. The vast majority of drivetrain-specific controls, similar to engine, gearbox and differential settings are managed by the motive force, with secondary capabilities dealt with by the navigator alongside route administration.
Competing within the Dakar isn’t so simple as simply turning up in your automobile or in your bike. Something you want within the bivouac (in a single day stops) needs to be introduced with you.
This requires vehicles; massive, succesful vehicles. These vehicles are damaged down into three varieties: Fast Help, Gradual Help and Help. Dakar Rally guidelines state that solely rivals and help workers can work on the autos whereas within the bivouac, and when both on liaison or throughout particular levels solely rivals can present help. For these instances, fast and gradual help vehicles entered into the T5.3 class are the one authorized option to convey spare elements and instruments to these in want.
Fast help vehicles are entered as full competitors autos, competing their very own respective class. They carry restricted spares and within the occasion of help being required, will mostly drop off spares to the entrant in want and proceed racing.
Gradual help vehicles additionally compete, however carry much more when it comes to spares (together with skilled mechanics) and can typically stay behind to assist with repairs. Only a few groups have their very own vehicles, and as such smaller groups and unbiased entrants will sub-contract this help, with the price of entry and working cut up evenly.
Prodrive’s help vehicles could also be far bigger than the T5.3 vehicles, and whereas they’re able to traversing tough terrain they may typically observe extra of a road-based route between bivouacs. Prodrive has three, and at the moment of my go to they have been all parked outdoors being ready for the subsequent outing. These 6×4 and 6×6 vehicles carry the majority of spares and act as headquarters within the bivouacs for race engineers, a workshop and even accomodation within the pop-up tents on the roof.
All the things you can want is carried in these behemoths in an especially organised vogue, each to help with discovering elements and in addition to keep away from them being scattered when travelling over tough terrain.
Smaller MAN 4×4 vans journey alongside the help vehicles. These vans transport the crew principal, engineers, analysts and mechanics, offering workspace in addition to bunks to get some well-needed relaxation throughout transit.
The Prodrive Hunter T1+ is a powerful machine whichever manner you take a look at it, however quickly you received’t must be a Dakar Rally competitor to drive one. A road-going model, billed as ‘The world’s first all-terrain hypercar,’ Prodrive has taken the entire data and experience from their racing program and added a level of consolation to make high-speed blasts via the desert extra pleasing.
Slight concessions to the burden restrict have been made so as to add in additional of an inside, with sound deadening, a extra highly effective air-con system, comfy seats and elevated adjustability within the cockpit.
There are advantages to not having to evolve to rules; the Hunter’s engine is now derestricted and makes over 600hp, leading to a 0-60mph time of below 4 seconds and a theoretical 186mph high pace, though that is electronically restricted to 130mph because of the tyres.
Whereas the automobile now sits round 100mm decrease than the race model, suspension journey has elevated to 400mm.
This primary improvement mannequin will, as soon as the undertaking is absolutely signed off, be taken into possession by the Royal Household of Bahrain.
As you’d anticipate, these vehicles received’t be low cost, with a proposed base worth of round £1.2 million. Whereas this will likely look like an enormous quantity, the race automobile underpinnings remind you that top-level motorsport all the time has and all the time will include a premium price ticket.
The BRX crew are at present testing forward of the subsequent World Rally-Raid Championship rounds in Morocco forward of getting into the 2023 Dakar Rally, which for the fourth yr begins in Saudi Arabia. Starting on December 31 and working for 15 days, Prodrive can have their work minimize out for them, dealing with stiff competitors from Audi and Toyota works groups amongst others.
The largest problem, nevertheless, isn’t any of the opposite entrants however moderately the desert itself. Because the outdated adage says: So as to complete first, first you have to end.
Chaydon Ford
Instagram: chaycore
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