Better reliability for ProDakar

Colin McRae was the instigator of his single-seater buggies which finally saw the light of day in 2010. But the first experiment was not a success since of the seven crews entered, only two managed to reach the finish of the Dakar. The ProDakar team hopes to be able to offer its main drivers, Tim Coronel and Norberto Fontana, former Sauber driver in F1, to be able to fight for a better ranking.

Tim Coronel still has good memories of the 2010 edition, even if it turned out to be a real ordeal at times. “Last year the car was not ready and finishing each stage was already a challenge,” recalls the WTCC driver. “I have never experienced such an adventure, very difficult but also very beautiful. When we left alone we were considered crazy, but when we came back we were heroes, because the Dutch love those who fight! »

However, a lot of work has been done this year to make the buggies more reliable. “We worked a lot on the buggy to adapt it to the difficulties of the Dakar,” adds Tim Coronel. “86 points were modified, then validated during tests in Morocco. Of course, we keep a reasonable objective: the Top 30 overall.”

The 2011 ProDakar buggies will thus receive new suspensions, a new clutch, a new self-locking differential to better cope with the immense dunes present on the course and a new map for the 3 horsepower 140-cylinder engine coming from a snow scooter. The 2011 buggy will therefore be lighter, will have a better center of gravity and will only consume 6 liters per 100 kilometers on average.