Dakar 2011: homepage

ARGENTINA

With nearly 3500 kilometres between the Bolivian border and the extremities of the Land of Fire, Argentina is...

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CHILE

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25-08-2010 - VW: 3 for a hat-trick!

With the Dakar 2011 in mind, on Saturday in Trier in Germany Volkswagen proudly presented its new rally-raid prototype, the Race Touareg III! By no means a revolution, it is a well-thought out development of this racing beast, with brand new aerodynamics as its distinctive feature. The goal is to grab a 3rd consecutive triumph on January’s Grand Classic!

The 2,000-year old amphitheatre in Trier was a fitting setting to welcome the gigantic show put on by Volkswagen for 10,000 guests who came to the presentation of the new Race Touareg III. It has to be said that Wolfsburg’s latest “offspring” has a lot to live up to if it is to do as well as its predecessor and consequently offer a 3rd victory in a row on the Dakar to the German constructor.

“The Dakar is a mythical event, so everything must be perfect to win it”, is the opinion of Kriss Nissen, Volkswagen’s sporting director. “The technology, drivers, assistance team, logistics... each sector is crucial. If you want to win you first need to tame the race, then beat your rivals. We have learned an enormous amount over the last few years and all this experience has been poured into designing this new Race Touareg. I’m convinced that we have found the ideal mix between evolution and revolution”.
With a better cooling system, optimised gearbox settings and increased engine power at altitude, the VW engineers have made significant changes to the mechanics of the Race Touareg III, but this is nothing when compared to the aerodynamics. Deliberately closer to the shape of the new road vehicle, the design of the Race Touareg III contributes to an increase in maximum speeds but also to better engine cooling. Furthermore, the internal system has been completely redesigned and now enables the 2.5 litre TDI diesel to boast 310 horsepower, which amounts to 7 more than the previous version.
This new racer will make its competitive debut during the Silk Way Rally, which will take place in Russia from 11th to 18th September. Afterwards, four of these cars will be enrolled in the Dakar 2011, which will take place from 1st to 16th January in South America. Unsurprisingly, the four drivers will be Spaniard Carlos Sainz, the title holder, South-African Giniel De Villiers, winner in 2009, Qatari Nasser Al-Attiyah and American Mark Miller.