Renault Argentina has announced that it will put forth the Duster for the 2013 Dakar Rally to be held in South America. Renault would be prepping two Dusters with two crew members each for the Rally. The Renault Duster has already proven its worth on the road and that can be confirmed by the huge numbers of this compact SUV sold around the world. Now the French company wants to portray the off-roading capabilities of their most successful offering.
The Dakar Rally is one of the few rallies organized on such a big scale and is also a very challenging one. In a span of fifteen days, the teams have to cover a distance of about 8000 kms through all kinds of terrains while battling severe weather conditions. Endurance, physical and mental strength will be the most important factors to enable a team to reach the end. The winning of a vehicle proves very beneficial to the respective company because they can prove that they have a car which can handle the best and worst of what the roads have to offer.
The 2013 rally will be the 34th edition of the Dakar Rally and this would the fifth consecutive year the Rally would be meeting South America at the start point. The Rally begins on the 5th of January, 2013 and is concentrated among three South American countries, namely Peru, Argentina and Chile. The start point is at Lima, the Capital city of Peru and ends all the way in Santiago in Chile.
The Dakar Rally specific Renault Duster is powered by a 3.5-litre, V6 petrol engine that churns out an impressive 306 BHP. This engine is mated to a 6-speed sequential gearbox with heavy duty limited slip differential and would feature an all-wheel drive system. The suspension system would be highly modified to overcome the tough terrains the rally would have to offer, a four-link front suspension and a double-trapeze rear suspension. As far as braking is concerned, the Renault Duster would be equipped with ventilated disc brakes with powerful six-piston callipers at the front and four-pistons at the rear.
[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?&v=jkleLiM4Y1k 540 375]
