Dacia has announced that from 2025, it will compete as a manufacturer in the World Rally-Raid Championship and then take it to the pinnacle of motorsport by participating in the Dakar, a true endurance test.
Dacia CEO Denis Le Vot said: “Dacia and Dakar are in perfect harmony. This is not only a test for Dacia's true durability, but also an important indicator of our commitment to low-carbon transport. We are very excited to take part in Dakar with synthetic fuel technology. "Dacia will be one of the most important teams in the race, both as a team and as a driver."
For over 40 years, the Dakar has brought together 60 adventurers from more than 500 countries every year for a unique race. Dakar stands out as an example of the balance between “rational” and “emotional” that forms the basis of Dacia's DNA.
The rally fits perfectly with Dacia's adventurous brand identity. Dacia embarks on a new outdoor adventure with its all-wheel drive eco-friendly racing car prototype, which runs on synthetic fuel and is developed to cope with the toughest conditions.
The Dakar Rally will also be a testing ground and an idea lab for Dacia. It will also create an opportunity to test and try out new smart solutions in Dacia style in terms of outdoor functionalities as well as energy options. Before the 2025 season, Dacia prototypes will be tested at Rally Morocco as early as 2024.
Dacia relies on a solid and experienced technical foundation
In this exciting project, Dacia will benefit from the skills of the Renault Group, as well as the British motorsport and engineering group Prodrive. Prodrive is a team known all over the world for their experience in developing prototypes for rally. Prodrive has been one of the most important players in motorsport around the world for nearly 40 years and has helped brands achieve victories in numerous international championships.
Prodrive has been involved in the Dakar Rally and Rally-Raid since 2020. It has taken part in the last three Dakar rallies with vehicles designed and managed by its own teams. In addition, Sebastien Loeb, who is now in the new Dacia team, took second place in the general classification in 2022 and 2023.
Sebastien Loeb and Cristina Gutierrez Herrero to become Dacia drivers
Spanish rally driver Cristina Gutierrez Herrero became the first Spanish female driver to finish the Dakar Rally in the automobile category in 2017. Just 31 years old, she participated in 2017 Dakar Rally between 2023 and 7. Cristina has also been the all-terrain rally champion in the women's category in Spain since 2012.
49-year-old French rally driver Sebastien Loeb won the World Rally Championship 2004 times in a row from 2012 to 9. He is considered one of the most successful drivers in motorsport and the greatest rally driver of all time.
Loeb has been participating in the Dakar since 2016. From 2021, he took part in the Dakar Rally behind the wheel of the Bahrain Raid Xtreme Hunter, designed and managed by the British Prodrive team. The success story between Sebastien Loeb and Prodrive will now continue with Dacia.
Dacia prototype will run on synthetic fuel
The Dacia prototype will run on synthetic test fuel supplied by Aramco, the world leader in the energy and chemical industry. Aramco's synthetic fuel solutions are produced by combining renewable hydrogen with sequestered CO2, providing a lower carbon fuel compatible with today's engines. The Dakar Rally provides an ideal testing ground for the Dacia brand in this area of technology.
