After their first victory at the Marakko Championship in October, the Dacia Sandriders now start the Dakar as one of the favourites.
The Sandriderf drivers and their crews are Nasser Al-Attiyah / Edouard Boulanger, Sébastien Loeb / Fabian Lurquin and Cristina Gutiérrez / Pablo Moreno.
Dacia Sandrider is built according to the principles of the Ultimate T1 + class on a tubular frame chassis on which a carbon fiber body is placed. The car is powered by a 3.0 liter twin-turbo V6 engine with direct injection. Maximum output is 265 kW/360 hp at 5,000 rpm and maximum torque of 540 Nm at 4,250 rpm. The all-wheel drive is powered through a 6-speed sequential gearbox.
The team had just one month left to prepare for the final desert rally in Morocco before the cars were shipped by sea to Saudi Arabia.
Technical Director Philip Dunabin explains the changes made to the cars during the preparation for Dakar 2025: “With two victories in the Moroccan Rally, we have shown that the Dacia Sandrider has a very good level of performance. In the period from Morocco to Dakar, the aim was to complete reliability. We want them to be able to get through the two weeks without any problems.” In Sweet Lamb (Wales) the main task was to improve the reliability of the engine. In addition, the climate wind tunnel at the MIRA facility (UK) aimed to improve the cooling performance of the engine.
In Morocco there were problems with the electronics that control the engine fans during the test and during the rally. Dunabin continued: “With the help of Alpine Racing, we were able to analyze the problem with the fans. We were able to take a number of steps with the manufacturer to improve the reliability of these components. We have also worked on parts that have a limited life time to ensure that we have enough stock to complete Dakar effectively».
Based on the experience gained in Morocco, a good understanding of the life span of each component was provided to ensure that the goal of Dakar can be achieved with a minimum number of problems.
Team boss Tiphanie Isnard is under no illusions about the difficult task that now awaits the three driver teams: “We are facing an incredible challenge, but we have worked hard in preparation and we are approaching the task with confidence and conviction. We have already won the Moroccan Championship, but we will certainly not underestimate the task at hand. We have to stay very focused in every step.”
Nasser Al-Attiyahist, five-time winner of the Cross-Country World Cup and two-time winner of the World Rally Raid Championship, is a true Dakar legend. The five-time Dakar winner said: “Our goal is to win and I have great faith that this is possible. In Morocco we showed how strong our Dacia Sandrider is, but also how competitive we can be under difficult conditions. We have a well organized young team. Considering the difficult path, especially in the first week, we have to be smart, not take unnecessary risks and stay focused. Two of my five Dakar wins have come in Saudi Arabia, so I have a good idea of what to expect. At the rally you should expect the unexpected every day for more than two weeks. It won’t be easy, but we will do everything we can to win.”
Cristina Gutiérrez Herrero, 32, participates in a game of public aggression. The Spaniard has already participated in eight Dakars between 2017 and 2024. He won the 2021 World Cup for marathon meetings in the T3 category. In January 2024, she became the second woman after Jutta Kleinschmidt to win the Dakar Rally in her category (Challenger class). Your co-driver will be Pablo Moreno-Huete.
“Pablo and I have had a good year to learn. We are well adapted to the Ultimate category. I am very happy to be part of the Dacia Sandrider team and therefore a big family. The atmosphere in the whole team is fantastic. We will all work with great enthusiasm and we are looking forward to the Dakar ,” explained Amazon.
Sébastien Loeb, 49, won the World Rally Championship nine times in a row between 2004 and 2012. This makes him one of the most successful drivers in the history of motorsport. The Alsatian has been participating in the Dakar since 2016.
“I’m really looking forward to driving the Dakar with the Dacia Sandrider. We worked very hard in advance to prepare for this race. Now the tension is increasing a lot. Our goal is always to win – but we know how many important things have to be right for this to happen. It will be a very difficult Dakar, maybe we need to manage our position instead of pushing to win. We will see how things develop day by day. I believe that our experience will be a big advantage,” said Loeb.
