The two Renault Dusters have been specially prepared for the 2015 Dakar Rally with V8 engines producing 380 HP of power.
One of the most challenging races in the world, the Dakar Rally will be kickstarting from 4th up to 17th January and will throw open 9000 kms of gruelling terrain across Argentina, Chile and Bolivia for the participants to conquer over the two weeks. Competing for the third year in a row, the event will also see a not so subtle participant coming from Renault in the form of specially prepped Dakar spec Dusters that get powered by V8 engines producing 380 HP of power that comes from the Renault-Nissan Alliance.
Having first participated in 2013, Renault Argentina was ranked 29th in general classification, while the 2014 rally saw the team finish 14th overall and fourth in class. This year, Renault aims to finish in the top 10 in the Dakar rally and has also announced that it will launch a limited edition Duster Dakar in Argentina to mark Renault’s involvement in the Dakar Rally. Technical details on the rally spec Duster have not been revealed yet, but we do see a roll cage, underbody protection, off-road tyres, enhanced cooling, apart from a reinforced chassis.
The two V8 powered Dusters will be driven by Emiliano Spataro and Benjamín Lozada, as well as José García and Mauricio Malano, who have been competing in three rounds of the Argentinian Rally Cross-Country Championship and took a win apart from the runner-up titles. Renault Argentina has also reinforced its logistics and improved technical support to the team. In addition, Renault Sport Technologies is on board and will support the team throughout the rally providing innovative solutions during the course.
