Trackside - Racers tackle Dakar in Pandas
08 January 2007 Drivers in cars, bikes and even trucks have 15 days to cover a gruelling 7,915km trek from Lisbon (Portugal) to Dakar (Senegal, West Africa). As if that wasn’t tough enough, two competitors this year are shunning the fearsomely powerful rally raid cars of the front runners for 105hp Fiat Pandas. Keith Collantine takes a look at the challenge they face. If you’re planning to tackle the fearsome Dakar rally, you want something like the Mitsubishi Pajero MPR13 at your disposal. With a four-litre V6 engine powering all four wheels and a huge 500-litre fuel tank giving it a range of 800km, this is a vehicle purpose-built for tearing through the sands of the Sahara. The Fiat Panda, a tiny little city runabout, emphatically is not. But that hasn’t stopped Miki Biasion and Bruno Saby from giving it a try. Fiat have backed this unconventional entry to the unique event and picked two competitive drivers in two-time rally champion Biasion and Dakar winner Saby. Each has a Fiat Panda 4x4 at their disposal. Unlike the Tonka-tough Pajeros, these have puny 1.3-litre diesel engines producing just 105hp. A 160-litre fuel tank is slotted in place of the rear seats. But the Panda’s secret weapon is its lightness – with a full tank, three spare tyres, driver and navigator the whole load weighs only 1,400kg. Biasion said: “I’m sure the little mouse of the desert won’t disappoint the fans.” He added: “Saby tried it for the first time in Tunisia and said with a big grin, ‘It isn’t ridiculous at all!’ And he is a champion in the world of [rally] raids.” But the drivers haven’t underestimated the challenged offered by the Dakar rally - one of the most difficult and dangerous events of its kind in the world. This year’s event saw a record 525 teams enter – 187 cars, 250 bikes and 88 trucks in the three classes. The rally crosses stone, gravel, sand dunes, tarmac, vegetation and more. But the Dakar also has a dark side. Forty-eight people have died on the rally in the 28 years since it began – and fewer than half of those were competitors. By way of comparison, seven drivers were killed in Formula One during that time – three during races. Many have said the toll is unacceptably high and called for the abolition of the rally, but its organisers stress that it brings money to some of the poorest countries in the world. They run 106 different humanitarian projects involving 271,000 people. This year’s rally got underway at the weekend and after two stages Carlos Sousa of Portugal held the lead in his Volkswagen Touareg. Biaison and Saby’s Panda were 135th and 139th respectively. The rally finishes on Sunday 21st January. The Fiat Panda 4x4 Dakar prototype will be on display at the Autosport International show at the Birmingham NEC from Thursday to Sunday this week. Tickets available from http://www.autosport-international.com/ Auto Trader links Win British Touring Car Championship DVDs |
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