Photo: Dacia
When the Dacia car brand was born in 1966, named after the historic name of the region where Romania is located today, no one would have imagined how far they would go – up to the distant whereabouts of the iconic Dakar Rally.
After 33 years of independence – during which time the company made old Renault cars under license – the relationship between the two manufacturers was fully official. In 1999, the French group took control of the country's largest company by revenue. Its success story – where the brand outpaced the growth of the entire group (14.7% compared to 9%) is a statement of Renault's innovative way of thinking that an affordable marque doesn't need to sell itself cheaply to meet enthusiasts' needs.
Today, it has an entirely new brand identity and four major series, but it also has humongous ambitions for a company based out of Southeast Europe. In fact, they are traveling to the far corners of the Earth next year with the newly established Dacia Sandriders team in the Dakar Rally and the World Rally-Raid Championship in 2025. Naturally, to do so, they also need a handful of things – money (which is no problem, obviously, given the pace of deliveries), drivers, and an off-road racer.
Well, if Dacia is currently known for things like the Duster SUV, Sandero hatchback, or the Spring electric vehicle, which has just 65 horsepower in its most powerful form, now they also have a Sandrider prototype. This will be Dacia's most powerful current vehicle thanks to adhering to the Ultimate T1+ FIA class and sporting a tubular chassis plus carbon fiber body shell and a 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 engine packing no less than 355 hp and 398 lb-ft (539 Nm).
Naturally, this is a 4x4 prototype and also comes with a six-speed sequential transmission to make things easier for the star drivers on board. In fact, Dacia has already made ample waves not just with the announcement of going to the Dakar Rally in 2025 but also with the team behind the wheel: nine-time WRC winner Sebastien Loeb (co-driver Fabian Lurquin), two-time World Rally-Raid Championship and five-time World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies winner Nasser Al-Attiyah, and Cristina Gutierrez Herrero a leading name among lady rally drivers. By the way, Al-Attiyah is an absolute Dakar specialist – he won the event five times.
Also, suppose the design of the Dacia Sandrider feels a bit familiar. In that case, it’s because the company was inspired by the Dacia Manifesto concept – and according to the company, “participation in motorsport is a way for Dacia to test its approach of essentialism – and in particular its commitment to affordable decarbonization – on the toughest terrains." More precisely, the Sandrider prototype will run on a blend of synthetic fuels made by Aramco.
Today, it has an entirely new brand identity and four major series, but it also has humongous ambitions for a company based out of Southeast Europe. In fact, they are traveling to the far corners of the Earth next year with the newly established Dacia Sandriders team in the Dakar Rally and the World Rally-Raid Championship in 2025. Naturally, to do so, they also need a handful of things – money (which is no problem, obviously, given the pace of deliveries), drivers, and an off-road racer.
Well, if Dacia is currently known for things like the Duster SUV, Sandero hatchback, or the Spring electric vehicle, which has just 65 horsepower in its most powerful form, now they also have a Sandrider prototype. This will be Dacia's most powerful current vehicle thanks to adhering to the Ultimate T1+ FIA class and sporting a tubular chassis plus carbon fiber body shell and a 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 engine packing no less than 355 hp and 398 lb-ft (539 Nm).
Naturally, this is a 4x4 prototype and also comes with a six-speed sequential transmission to make things easier for the star drivers on board. In fact, Dacia has already made ample waves not just with the announcement of going to the Dakar Rally in 2025 but also with the team behind the wheel: nine-time WRC winner Sebastien Loeb (co-driver Fabian Lurquin), two-time World Rally-Raid Championship and five-time World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies winner Nasser Al-Attiyah, and Cristina Gutierrez Herrero a leading name among lady rally drivers. By the way, Al-Attiyah is an absolute Dakar specialist – he won the event five times.
Also, suppose the design of the Dacia Sandrider feels a bit familiar. In that case, it’s because the company was inspired by the Dacia Manifesto concept – and according to the company, “participation in motorsport is a way for Dacia to test its approach of essentialism – and in particular its commitment to affordable decarbonization – on the toughest terrains." More precisely, the Sandrider prototype will run on a blend of synthetic fuels made by Aramco.
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