Dakar 2016

[dimviii]

Loeb comments after each stage
stage#2
https://www.redbulletin.com/fr/fr/sp...bastien-loeb-2

stage#3
https://www.redbulletin.com/fr/fr/sp...bastien-loeb-3


works ok with google translate in English

[Mirek]

Kamaz changed something at their trucks from last year?

Some months a go they presented a truck with long nose, Mercedes cabin and Buggyra engine but those trucks which are now in the race are looking same as last year. I don't know what happend, maybe some split with Mercedes, maybe something connected to the sanctions against Russia. I don't know.

[dimviii]

stage 2 video from Tatra trucks
https://youtu.be/bVqEpsUE6iM

[EightGear]

Just saw a video of the day 1 accident. Very shocking...

[Mirek]

Prokop had a puncture today.

[Rally Power]

This is another Famin quote: "The Dakar organizers have two ways of balancing performance: the regulations and the route".
Let's have a look at the regulations: The minimum weight - without fuel - for the Peugeots is nearly 700 kgs less than the turbodiesel Minis, 600 kgs less than the petrol normally aspirated Toyotas (notice the difference between these two 4WD cars). They have nearly double the wheel travel (limited to 250 mm on 4WD cars) and much bigger wheels (37 inch diameter for the Pugs). Plus they can alter the wheel pressure in full flight, which is not allowed for 4WD cars.
That leads to 2WD cars being superior offroad, especially in the desert, 4WD cars having advantages on tracks, especially with lots of corners.
Now have a look at the route: In Africa roughly 90 per cent of the stages were offroad/desert. In South American Dakar this was reduced to something like 40 per cent. Alss the organisers changed the rules in favour of 2WD cars, mainly because this formerly was a privateer category.
Peugeot is the first factory team seriously trying to win with a 2WD buggy.
Even X-Raid is evaluating the 2WD concept. Since last year they are running a buggy (Guerlain Chicherit, no. 324) alongside their Minis. It's powered by a Chevrolet V8 petrol engine and this year for the first time built around a X-Raid developped chassis.
Because Chile and Peru pulled out unfortunately - for Peugeot - the 2016 route has only something like two days of offroad driving.
After Rally Morocco Nasser Al-Attiyah was quite convinced to beat even the all-new Pugs because there they were not much faster in the desert than the Minis, and the Minis were still faster on tracks.
So it's quite interesting that at the Dakar 2016 already one stage with theoretically 4WD advantages was cancelled and the other was won by a Pug.

Yep, it's really an unpredictable Dakar. It even seems to got some Monte Carlo flair: changing weather; tricky roads and Loeb at the front!

The limited time frame was determinant for Peugeot choice, but surely they've got some kind of promise from ASO that 2wd regs wouldn't change for some time and the routes would be chosen in a balanced way (Peru pull out was totally unexpected).

Above all, it's great to see they've managed to make a new competitive car, after their quicly developed '15 version. Good for Peugeot, good for the race!

[MartijnS]

Some months a go they presented a truck with long nose, Mercedes cabin and Buggyra engine but those trucks which are now in the race are looking same as last year. I don't know what happend, maybe some split with Mercedes, maybe something connected to the sanctions against Russia. I don't know.

Gerard de Rooij said on Dutch tv that it was not allowed because of the mix of two brands or something like that.

[Mirek]

There was a deal between Kamaz and Mercedes about some sort of joint venture in Kazan (perhaps the Kamaz truck with Mercedes cabin should have been produced there). Maybe the deal was blocked by politics and sanctions and as such the "mixed" truck became illegal for the race. That's just my assumption.

In fact Tatra uses DAF cabins for Phoenix model (Valtr has it on Dakar) and it's no issue when it's part of stock production.

Anyway it looks like there is a real performance step from year to year and Kamaz looks somewhat unprepared. Let's see later.

[makinen_fan]

This is the video of the prologue stage crash. It's a miracle no one was killed
https://www.facebook.com/automovilis...5149519134337/

[dimviii]

stage#4 Loeb report
https://www.redbulletin.com/fr/fr/sp...bastien-loeb-4