– Stand back and watch as Team Peugeot Total’s new Dakar Rally machine lands on the dunes of Morocco.
The recently announced PEUGEOT 3008 DKR, with which the French team will defend its 2016 Dakar victory, is ready for its first competitive outing at the Rallye du Maroc in the hands of Carlos Sainz and Lucas Cruz: part of Peugeot’s ‘dream team’ with 18 Dakar wins among the drivers. The African rally, traditionally considered to be a warm-up for the Dakar, is about to start with a prologue warm-up stage on Sunday, October 2.
For Peugeot,, the mission on the Rallye du Maroc will be to validate the final test programme of the new racing car, which benefits from a number of improvements compared to its Dakar-winning predecessor.
All four Peugeot drivers were closely involved in the PEUGEOT 3008 DKR’s development programme, covering approximately 5,000 kilometres during the two test sessions to date. These test sessions have allowed the drivers to refine the technical developments in real conditions through the rough and challenging conditions of Moroccan heat and sandy dunes, whilst optimising each driver’s personal set-up.
Erfoud, in Morocco, has been chosen as Peugeot’s test base in recent years as it contains a bit of everything, featuring conditions that will be generally similar to those seen on the Dakar in just over three months’ time. The two PEUGEOT 3008 DKR tests that have taken place so far, to confirm the work of Peugeot’s engineers, have gone very well but nothing replaces the heat of real competition.
Peugeot’s test work on the 3008 DKR to date has concentrated on refining the aerodynamic package, with the car having a different shape this year, suspension development to enhance the Peugeot’s go-anywhere ability, improving the engine’s torque which will be particularly useful when it comes to tackling the dunes and trying out the air conditioning: vital for extracting the maximum human performance from the ‘dream team’.
“We’ve been improving a number of details for the Peugeot 3008 DKR such as suspension and engine drivability : all these things add up to make a difference,