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VW's Touareg to compete in Paris-Dakar rally |
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Written by ERS Online
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Thursday, 20 November 2003 |
VAG is at it again. Few can write off their success with Bentley and Audi in the 24 Hrs of Le Mans, and now they have their sights on another international challenge. VAG has decided to enter the Touareg (Volkswagen's first SUV) in the Paris-Dakar rally in 2004.
The rally is as true a test of man and machine as any endurance race. To prepare the vehicle and driver for the grueling race, engineers have been hard at work testing the special racing version of the Touareg in Morocco. In order to be competitive the team will have to overcome the physical limitations of the equipment in addition to the harsh operating environment where the race is held.
First Volkswagen Race-Touareg Tests in Desert
Wolfsburg - Two weeks of non-stop stress, desert heat, the steepest sand dunes, metre high jumps - since 10th November, Volkswagen has subjected the new Race-Touareg to a programme of rigorous endurance tests held in Morocco. In the new desert racer's cockpit: Works driver Jutta Kleinschmidt with co-driver Fabrizia Pons, and new signings Bruno Saby and Matthew Stevenson. Through a series of hard test procedures, they are now preparing the new Race-Touareg for its competition debut - the Dakar Rally in January 2004.
"One thing is certain: the Race-Touareg, with all of its redesigned components, must prove itself during the harsh daily grind of the desert?, explained Motorsport Director Kris Nissen. "Then it's a question of working out the optimum interaction between all systems. The suspension, the four-wheel drive and the characteristics of the five-cylinder 2.3 litre TDI? engine must be synchronized with one another and, in addition suit the demands of our drivers. We want to have completed as many test kilometres as possible before the 25th November. If everything continues to run as smoothly and precisely as it is at the moment, then we will have simulated almost the complete distance of the Dakar Rally."
Jutta Kleinschmidt and Bruno Saby are, after only a few days testing, already impressed by the qualities of the Race-Touareg. "The car handled really well. The whole package has incredible potential - and we are only at the beginning of the development curve", read the 2001 Dakar winner's summary. "During the first few days we concentrated on improving the suspension set-up over small road irregularities. The car has already convincingly mastered jumps and big bumps.? Her French team colleague added: "The Race-Touareg is well balanced because of the weight distribution, and an immense amount of attention to detail was invested during its construction. I was immediately impressed by this vehicle."
In the presence of Eduard Weidl, the project's Technical Director, both drivers tested every change alternately, before discussing their wishes with the engineers to determine the track of future development.
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