What do we know about Sébastien Loeb's Dacia Sandrider for the Dakar?

Embodying the Renault Group's factory commitment to rally raids under the banner of the Dacia brand, the Sandrider meets the regulations of the FIA ​​Ultimate T1+ category. It is the result of the French manufacturer's work on the Dacia Manifesto concept and the collaboration with Prodrive, a British structure which has learned from its Hunter program in the hope of doing better with this new mount.

The Dacia Sandrider was designed for competition with a desire to reduce weight and make it agile enough to compete in the Saudi desert on the Dakar. This is what gives it its innovative and above all minimalist appearance in terms of bodywork. Paradoxically, it was also necessary to take into account the need for robustness to withstand shocks and very long distances, while ensuring the safety of the three crews.

The livery is also intended to be minimalist, with the application of anti-reflective paint to improve visibility on board. The bucket seats are covered in a special antibacterial fabric which is also capable of regulating humidity. Also for the comfort of the driver and co-driver, the carbon body panels feature pigments that repel some of the heat.

The Dacia Sandrider is especially equipped with an important innovation called “seat attenuator”. This system absorbs excessively violent impacts and thus reduces the compression phenomenon which puts a severe strain on the spine of pilots and co-pilots. In recent years, several injuries of this type have been observed and this will also imply the generalization of such a system to all cars from 2027.

“There have been a number of accidents in rally raids, where cars landed very heavily, causing back injuries, particularly to co-drivers, but also to drivers”explains technical director Philip Dunabin. “Prodrive therefore worked on a system adding what we call a 'seat attenuator'. When the impact exceeds a certain number of g, the seat moves and there is a shock absorption system, thus the bucket is not completely rigid.”

On the engine side, the Dacia Sandrider is powered by a 3-liter twin-turbo V6 powered by sustainable fuel. This all-terrain vehicle is entrusted to three crews composed of Sébastien Loeb and Fabian Lurquin, Nasser Al-Attiyah and Édouard Boulanger, and Cristina Guttiérez and Pablo Moreno.

The Dacia Sandrider technical sheet

Chassis: Tubular

Bodywork: Carbon fiber

Dimensions : Length 4140 mm / Width 2290 mm / Height 1810 mm

Wheelbase: 3000 mm

Wheels: 17 inch aluminum

Tires: BF Goodrich 37 inch

Engine : V6, 3 liters, biturbo

Maximum power: 265 kW/365 hp at 5000 rpm

Couple maximal : 539 Nm at 4250 rpm

Fuel : Aramco

Transmission : Four-wheel drive

Gearbox: Six-speed sequential

Suspension : Double triangle front and rear

Suspension travel: 350 mm

Brake calipers: Alcon 6 pistons monobloc

Brake discs: Alcon ventilated discs, diameter 355 mm