In action: this Dacia will drive the Dakar Rally

Dacia Sandrider

You know Dacia from their affordable passenger cars, such as the Duster and Jogger, but now they are stepping into an entirely different adventure: rallying. Dacia immediately set its sights high and will be at the start of next year’s Dakar Rally, with the Dacia Sandrider. The rally car is currently being pushed to its limits during a series of intensive tests.

After a system check at the Millbrook Proving Ground in the United Kingdom, the Dacia Sandrider was put through its paces for four days (May 6-9) at the Sweet Lamb test complex in Wales. The team then traveled to Château de Lastours in France for another four intensive days of testing (May 27-31). There, the three crews had the opportunity to test the Sandrider with BF Goodrich tires in rocky and demanding terrain.

In Wales, Spanish driver Cristina Gutiérrez was behind the wheel of the Sandrider for the first two days, after which nine-time world rally champion Sébastien Loeb took the wheel for the remainder of the test program. At Château de Lastours, multiple Dakar winner Nasser Al-Attiyah got to know the qualities of the Dacia Sandrider for the first time. After two days, Loeb took over, while Gutiérrez crawled into the cockpit the last afternoon.

Tiphanie Isnard, team leader of The Dacia Sandriders, as Dacia’s rally team is officially called, confirmed that the first phase of testing had exceeded expectations. Al-Attiyah, Gutiérrez and Loeb, as well as the expert engineers and technicians, hardly encountered any problems.

Now the team is preparing for its first comprehensive test in Morocco from June 28 to July 5. During this test, the Sandrider will be put to the test in terrain similar to conditions during the Dakar Rally, the opening round of the FIA World Rally-Raid Championship from January 3 to 17, 2025 in Saudi Arabia.