Dacia Prepares for Dakar Rally
Dacia’s Sandrider T1U: A Project Born from Scratch
A New Era in Motorsport
Cars – In the middle of the Moroccan desert, Dacia is embarking on its first real test of the Sandrider T1U that will compete in the World Rally Championship and next year’s Dakar Rally. As a project built from scratch, bringing together two major motorsport powers in Alpine Racing and Prodrive, so far so good for the team led by Tiffany Isnard.
First Test of the Sandrider T1U
The Dacia Sandrider was unveiled in January and tested at the end of May, and is set to make its long-awaited competition debut at the W2RC season finale Rallye du Maroc in October before heading to Saudi Arabia for the Dakar Rally. So an intense two-week test in the Moroccan dunes, where ambient temperatures reached a peak of 50 degrees Celsius, gave the team plenty of data to reflect on.
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A Smooth Testing Process
“The tests have gone smoothly so far,” explains Isnard. “We haven’t had any major issues with the car, just the dashboard inside the cockpit because the drivers had a little visibility issue and felt we needed to improve that, so we made that improvement. “But that’s the only thing we changed between the test in Europe and Morocco.
Focusing on Reliability
“In Morocco, our main goal was to focus completely on the reliability of the car. The feedback from our drivers has been positive and they are very happy with the handling and the overall performance, but it is not like a track car. In Morocco we are in the middle of the road. We are comfortable with our car, but we are not 100% sure about our speed, so we decided to focus on reliability for now and we will see that in the Rallye du Maroc.”
The Importance of Morocco as a Testing Destination
For many European teams, Morocco has long been a popular testing destination and for Dacia it is no different. Morocco has the logistical advantage of offering the same terrain as Saudi Arabia while being easily accessible from Dacia’s base in Paris and the UK.
“The dunes and the tracks in Morocco give us the best preparation not only for the Rally dune, but also for the Dakar, which is very similar and has a lot of dunes,” Tiffany explained. “We have almost 500 kilometres of these different types of terrain, so we can find a lot of areas to test how the car handles and behaves in the dunes. There is no better place than Morocco for this kind of preparation.”
Conclusion
Dacia’s Sandrider T1U is off to a promising start, with the team focusing on reliability in its first major test. With Morocco’s challenging terrain and favorable logistical advantages, the team is well-prepared for the challenges that lie ahead in the W2RC and Dakar Rally.
FAQs
Q: What is the significance of Morocco as a testing destination for Dacia?
A: Morocco offers the same terrain as Saudi Arabia, which is a key location for the Dakar Rally, and is easily accessible from Dacia’s base in Paris and the UK.
Q: What is the focus of Dacia’s testing in Morocco?
A: The team is focusing on the reliability of the Sandrider T1U, with the goal of being 100% sure about the car’s performance in the Rallye du Maroc.
Q: What is the significance of the Sandrider T1U project?
A: The Sandrider T1U is a project built from scratch, bringing together two major motorsport powers in Alpine Racing and Prodrive, marking a new era in motorsport for Dacia.