· The Dacia Sandriders bids for FIA World Rally-Raid success in Saudi Arabia
· Gruelling event awaits the all-star line-up of Al-Attiyah / Boulanger, Gutiérrez / Moreno and Loeb / Lurquin
· Team Principal, Tiphanie Isnard, says: “We’re about to take on an extraordinary human challenge”
Having tamed the Rallye du Maroc with a debut victory in October, The Dacia Sandriders has made the Dakar Rally, motorsport’s ultimate adventure, its next formidable challenge.
The opening round of the 2025 FIA World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC) from 3 – 17 January is a test of driver and machine without equal.
Taking place over sand dunes and rocky passes from the west to the east of Saudi Arabia, the upcoming Dakar Rally marks the start of The Dacia Sandriders’ 2025 W2RC title bid and follows its 1-2 finish at the Rallye du Maroc, which served primarily as a Dakar Rally dress rehearsal.
After the Prologue stage on 3 January, the 2025 Dakar Rally consists of 5,145 timed kilometres across 12 days of intense competition.
Starting in Bisha, in the west of Saudi Arabia, the event ends in Shubaytah to the east via a rest day in Hail and an overnight halt in the capital Riyadh. Included in the itinerary is the 48H Chrono stage covering a punishing 971 competitive kilometres.
The Dacia Sandriders’ Team Principal Tiphanie Isnard is under no illusions in terms of the arduous challenge in store for the three-car squad.
“We’re about to take on what we can only describe as an extraordinary human challenge, but it’s one we’re determined to tackle with courage and belief given how hard we have worked to prepare,” Isnard said.
“While it’s an arduous event with little respite during almost three intense weeks, we’re excited for what’s in store and we can’t wait to get started.
“Of course, we go to the event as winners following our victory on Rallye du Maroc. But that result will count for nothing if we underestimate the task we face or if we don’t stay focused throughout each stage.”
VALUABLE RALLYE DU MAROC LESSONS TO BE PUT INTO PRACTICE
Following the Rallye du Maroc, The Dacia Sandriders had less than one month to ready its BFGoodrich-equipped Ultimate category cars prior to their departure by sea to Saudi Arabia. Technical Director Philip Dunabin explained what changes have been made to the sustainable-fuelled Dacia Sandriders ahead of the 2025 Dakar Rally.
“First and second places on Rallye du Maroc showed that the Dacia Sandrider has a good level of performance,” Dunabin said. “But obviously going from Morocco to the Dakar the focus has been on the to make sure we can do the two weeks without any problems. Since Morocco we’ve worked on improving potential reliability issues on the engine during a full day of running at Sweet Lamb in Wales. We also had another session which concentrated on optimising the cooling performance of the engine and other aspects of the car. This was done in a climatic wind tunnel at the MIRA facility in the UK. Through testing in Morocco and into the rally we had a certain number of issues with the electronics
that controlled the fans for the engines. With the assistance of Alpine Racing, we’ve been able to do quite a deep dive into the electronics of the fans and we’ve put in place several measures together with the fan manufacturer to improve the reliability of those components. We’ve also worked on items that have a limited life to make sure we have an adequate supply to get through the Dakar. We based this on an assessment of the performance of those components during Rallye du Maroc and throughout the testing, so we have a good understanding of the lifetime of each component to make sure we get to the end of the Dakar with a minimum number of problems. This will optimise our chances of getting the best result possible for the Dacia Sandriders’ first time out on the Dakar.”
KEY QUOTES
NASSER AL-ATTIYAH (QATAR), DRIVER, THE DACIA SANDRIDERS
“The target is victory and I am very confident this can be possible. We showed in Morocco how strong our Dacia Sandrider was but also how competitive we could be in tough conditions and how good our young team is. But with a tough route, particularly during the first week, we have to be clever, avoid taking unnecessary risks and stay concentrated.
Two of my five Dakar wins have come in Saudi Arabia so I have a good idea of what we can expect, but this is a rally where you have to expect the unexpected each day for more than two weeks. It won’t be easy, but we will do everything we can to win.”
CRISTINA GUTIÉRREZ (SPAIN), DRIVER, THE DACIA SANDRIDERS
“My feelings before the Dakar are very strong. It has been an incredible year of learning, Pablo and I are like two little children, we feel that we have adapted very well to the Ultimate category and it has also made us bring out the best in ourselves. I feel very happy to be part of The Dacia Sandriders because I feel like I am part of a complete family. The atmosphere among the entire team is incredible and I think that we are going with great enthusiasm to do a good Dakar. We are aware that it is the first year we are all driving together, but we are also confident after the tests and Rallye du Maroc. I’m very excited for what is coming with The Dacia Sandriders.”
SÉBASTIEN LOEB (FRANCE), DRIVER, THE DACIA SANDRIDERS
“I’m really excited to kick off the Dakar with The Dacia Sandriders. We’ve worked hard to prepare for this race and now the excitement is truly building. Our goal is always to win, but we know how many critical factors must align for that to happen. It will be a tough Dakar and maybe we will have to manage our position more than we push to be able to win it. We will assess how things evolve day by day, but I’m hopeful that our experience will be a key advantage. We’re ready to give it everything we’ve got, and I know the team will do the same.”
THE DACIA SANDRIDERS DAKAR RALLY 2025 LINE-UP
#200: Nasser Al-Attiyah (QAT) / Édouard Boulanger (FRA)
#212: Cristina Gutiérrez (ESP) / Pablo Moreno (ESP)
#219: Sébastien Loeb (FRA) / Fabian Lurquin (BEL)
DAKAR RALLY 2025: THE BIG NUMBER
7,726: The Dacia Sandriders will
face a total distance of 7,726 kilometres when they contest the 2025 Dakar
Rally, including 5,180 against the clock.
