There were several "mixes" of engines. They used to run the Mitsu V6 4.0liters, some the turbo 2.0 from the Lancer EVO. There was a Mercedes ML with a Toyota Diesel engine. The new Mitsubishi from the Petrobras-Mitsubishi team definately sounds V8 (it raced in Morrocco). Which V8 does Mitsu has?
I know there have been a lot of "wonderful" combinations of engines/chassis (Pajero's with V8 LS1 Chevy's engines, etc.) and if you are a private team (not a manufacturer/factory team) then there is no reason to prevent mix 'n matching. That's what surprised me about you comment that the Petrobras Mitsu would have a FORD V8 in it... :huh Mitsubishi (via Hyundai) have an alloyblock V8 (8A80), which is a 4.5 liter GDi petrol engine from a couple of their (now discontinued) luxury sedan model range. With some homologation paperwork, some internal tweaking and mate it up to a sequential transmission/transfer box (4WD), then perhaps this is the V8 powerplant that you "heard" in marocco, now that Mitsubishi has gone from GDi Diesel, back to V6 petrol and now (it seems most everyone who can, is turning to new generation quad cam) V8 power .
I'd pay money to see/hear Sainz and Nasser in the same car. Nasser is fronting his own team (again) and Red Bull is pushing Sainz. And the 'buggy' is as much of a buggy as Gordon's Hammer was. It's deja-vu all over again. http://4x4racenews.com/user/image/dakar-2013-nasser-buggy.pdf
THREE ? "buggies" = one for Nasser, one for Sainz - and one for magnaldi? (you really thought either nasser or carlos was gonna take a "back seat" to the other...??! :huh... ) (this has sprinklings of the whole Gordon/Nasser 2012 scenario written all over it ) http://en.best-of-rallylive.com/Bestofrallylive/News/More-Dakar-action-for-Al-Attiyah/(tag)/Nasser%20Al-Attiyah Has anyone seen a picture of this "buggy"...
The only Mitsu supported Mitsu is the Spinelli one (ASX body work style), that one might run a Mitsu V8 (dont think they will though), the rest are private cars running their own engines, all ford v8.
I would bet the Mitsu ASX has also a Ford V8 in it. My guess is because the car is developed and preapred in France by ex Mitsu Ralliart head, Viardot. This same Viardot is helping the Nederlanders (prepared by Wevers Sports), including the switch to Ford V8. So it is a question of economy of scales, and finding same problems to takle, and same solutions.
Prepping for the Dutch cars is done locally, but indeed with help from Viardot, wo can still built you one , should you fancy it
Is Robby going to be racing this year? It'd be a shame to see him pack it up after all of the BS with the tire inflation system last year.
I am sure its on here somewhere but was too lazy to wade through every post, espcially given how highly emotions were running; what was the final score with RG Hummer. Did he win an appeal or was he excluded? cheers 38
He was excluded... The FIA council/jury upheld the findings and he was excluded from the official results.
Yep, he was excluded, but it was in fact the FFSA (French Federation of motorsports) the one who confirmed its excliussion. It would really be a pitty if RG quits from Dakar
Hello boys. I'm going back for 2013. Everyone always says you're best to wait a few months to decide but I knew right away that I wanted to try again. Rally Raid UK have been busy all year building a new vehicle for this second attempt. I wish Patrick Beaule, my co-driver from last year, could be back by my side, but I'm so happy for him. He's entered this year on a KTM450RR. I really believe he'll do well. He was an awesome co-driver and it gave him a chance to really learn Dakar navigation without the added stress of riding! Pat is an amazing "all-day" rider. He has the perfect attitude for the Dakar and I'm willing to bet he'll finish top 30 if not a bit better. The new vehicle will have the same engine/tranny as last year (BMW 3.0L TD with a six speed ZF) but we're moving to much tougher differentials. Rather than Defender 110 equipment (with ashcroft internals) we're going with Ford 9" diffs running ARB lockers in front and electric lockers in back. But the big difference will be independent suspension on all 4 corners. Last year, we had live axle suspension - a great reliable set-up but a very rough ride and certainly a limiting factor in certain terrain. It was the right choice for a first attempt ("we just want to finish") but now it's time to step it up. If I'm not mistaken, there was only one live axle (front and rear) team in front of us in the final standings. We wanted to run Bosch ECU but there just isn't enough time to get it mapped so we have to stick with the BMW ECU. As is it makes fine power (285 hp and 600 lb-ft) but the issue is that the MAF sensor is always getting clogged when we go through fesh-fesh. My co-driver was supposed to be Lee Fryberger - an awesome guy who runs the Corner Grass Racing Team out of Alberta. Lee is a master moto mechanic, and a full blooded off-road guy. He's also hilarious. Unfortunately, because the car is so last minute and is a first time build for RRUK, I have to approach things a different way. It looks like I'll be going with Paul Round. Paul is one of the owners of RRUK and is the guy who's building the new car. He's also been in 15+ dakars and is an amazing navigator. We test the car for the first time this coming weekend. Scary, since the ship from France leaves 3 weeks later! But that's the reality of building a car from A to Z on a reasonable (for Dakar) budget. The good news is that it looks absolutely amazing and it should be pretty bug free since engine/tranny/ecu are all the same as last year. We'll spend our time on suspension and trying to find bugs! Here's an image (hopefully I figured it out) of the line drawing with our graphics ideas. I'll send real photos next week once Paul lets me actually see the thing! Dave B
Great!! hosre were the previously known as Dessert Warriors? They looked similar to the Bowlers, at least in the past, but shape has evolved now. Cant you by pass on demand the MAF sensor to a standard value at the moment it cloggs?
Hi Dave; The body looks good mate... You mentioned that the new car is independant all round... Is chassis/suspension on the new car the same/similar to the RRUK proto that Geoff Olholm ran the last two years? (Geoff is running an overdrive Hilux for this year). Good luck with the test/final preparations and of course the run in January... regards to Paul, Beady and the crew. Troy c.
Can one of you smarter people answer a question for me? I recall Robby G mentioning in one of his videos last year that the intake restrictor that he had to install on his motor limited it to something around 350 HP. However, that article above about the Nasser Buggy stated this,"Although the Dakar/FIA regulations will eventually have some changes in the team website information about their cars realize that the engines have the awesome power of 735 Bhp." Did the V8 engine regs change enough this year that you can now run a V8 with that much more HP than last year or am I misremembering what I heard? Thanks!
Hi there, Paul Round, the owner of Rally Raid UK, was the original inventor of the Bowler but he decided to part ways with that company and build his own machines. The first generation were called Desert Warriors. This new one is called a Desert Warrior 3 (very creative name...). The second generation was also an independent but it had a different body style. It was the one that Geoff Olholm raced last year (to answer Troy's question). As for you other question, I have no idea! That's a question for RRUK. I'll get back to you.
Hi Troy, Thanks for your post. Can't wait to see the real thing. The chassis/suspension is very similar to what Geoff had. Paul really believes in slow evolution in that it keeps costs down and improves reliability. I can't wait to see Geoff's Hilux - those things looked amazing last year and I'm sure they'll be even better with the new engines. I'll say hi to BD and Paul for you. Take care DB
