Dakar 2024 has just ended, but British company Prodrive has already unveiled a new car for next year’s rally raid. In 2025, Sébastien Loeb, Nasser Al-Attiyah and Cristina Gurierres will compete for victory in the ultramarathon in Dacia Sandrider racing SUVs.
Dacia is the Romanian division of Renault, but this brand is known throughout Europe and now the French concern has decided to promote it more actively on the international stage.
In general, only the Dacia brand will remain, Prodrive is responsible for everything else and the car is created on the basis of the same proven Hunter, but the design will be thoroughly refined within the framework of the technical regulations of the Ultimate T1+ class.
The Sandrider is powered by Nissan’s 3.0-litre V6 biturbo engine producing 360 hp, mounted on a lightweight tubular frame chassis. It is also reported that the Sandrider has large wheels with striking 37-inch tires on 17-inch rims and a special energy-intensive suspension, whose travel reaches 350 mm – in general, all that is needed for an SUV that will win the Dakar storm.
Like the Prodrive Hunter, the new car has an all-wheel transmission with a six-speed gearbox, using Ford components, and a 48-volt on-board electrical system. It should also be noted that geometric cross-country capabilities should increase due to the shorter overhangs, both front and rear.
The car is only fueled with synthetic fuel.
The appearance of the Sandrider is very menacing and futuristic, even somewhat cosmic, and is completely different from the popular Duster SUVs. If it can be compared with anything, it is with the Dacia Manifesto concept car, which was presented a few years ago at the Paris Motor Show. Admittedly, the real car has not yet been shown to the public and is limited to computer images.
The device will undergo initial testing in England and intensive testing will take place in Morocco in June. A little later, in October 2025, Sandrider will have to undergo a baptism of fire: the Prodrive team plans to participate in the Morocco Rally to test everything properly and prepare as efficiently as possible for the next Dakar.
Source: F1 News
I am Christopher Clyde, an experienced journalist and content writer with a passion for sports. I have been writing about Formula 1 news for the past five years and am currently employed as an author at athletistic.com, one of the top sports websites in the US.
