At Dacia, we don't fear much before this Dakar 2025. Not even heatstroke! The three Sandriders had encountered serious overheating problems during their first competition, the Rally of Morocco in October 2024. This did not prevent Nasser Al-Attiyah and Sébastien Loeb from achieving the double, but the reliability aspect was so worrying drivers that the operating team, Prodrive, has tried to resolve the problem in recent weeks.
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After Morocco, the three 4x4s were sent back to England to conduct testing on a well-known Wales Rally GB venue in the World Rally Championship (WRC), Sweet Lamb. “We have worked both on engine reliability at Sweet Lamb and on optimizing cooling and other aspects in a climatic wind tunnel at the MIRA (Motor Industry Research Association) center in the UK”reveals Philip Dunabin, Technical Director of Dacia.
“In Morocco, we encountered problems with the electronics controlling the cooling fans and we were able to look deeper into this subject to put measures in place. We also evaluated the lifespan of each element to provide enough until the finish of the Dakar and optimize our chances of obtaining the best possible result. »
Reassuring words, even if the choice to carry out tests in England in October-November did not make it possible to reproduce the climatic conditions of the Saudi desert! Dacia was not overly worried. Although it may be hot at the 2025 Dakar, the maximum temperatures will not match the Moroccan weather.
Besides, will it be hot on this Dakar 2025? Nothing is less certain. The mercury dropped below 0 degrees in Ha'il, scene of the finish of the 5th stage, on the night of January 1st. This city is located in the north of the country, where several stages are planned. The weather forecasts suggest that the heatwave will not be present any time soon on the Dakar route, except in the dune desert of the Empty Quarter at the end of the second week.
