Peugeot 3008 DKR: Simply the Best
Those suspension geometry changes must have really improved the car, and having most of the best drivers on your team can’t hurt either.
The 9000 km endurance spectacle that is the Dakar Rally is over for another year, and my, didn’t Peugeot do well? A 1-2-3 sweep and a record 13th victory for ‘Mr Dakar’ Stephane Peterhansel. So how did they come to be so dominant?
Imagine doing 9000 km off-road in a car as small as the 205 T16.
The greatness seen at the 2017 Dakar is nothing new. Peugeot has been a force to be reckoned with since their early forays into the world of rallying in 1981 with the Group B 205 Turbo 16. By 1985 (and again in ’86) the team had captured the manufacturer and driver’s titles. When Group B was banned Peugeot decided to try their hand at the Dakar Rally, which they won in 1987 and ’88. Then they won again in 1989 and ’90 with the 405 T16. Just for good measure they won the Pikes Peak hill climb in 1988 and 1989 too, and Sebastien Loeb hacked a minute and half off the record time in 2003 while driving a 208 T16.
'Based on' the road-going 3008.
So from all from all that experience, and with the best drivers, and the best sponsors, comes the 3008 DKR. The same man designed the DKR and the road car on which it’s ‘based’. When I say it’s based on the road car I mean they have similarly shaped headlights and grilles. That’s about where the similarities end. The DKR has a full tubular chassis with carbon fibre bodywork and almost half a metre of suspension travel. Its mid-mounted twin turbo V6 runs on diesel, sending 340 horsepower and 590 ft/lb of torque to the rear wheels only. 2WD doesn’t seem like the obvious choice for a 9000 km rally raid, but the Dakar rules make exceptions for these kinds of vehicles meaning that Peugeot can run larger tires and not worry about restrictions on suspension travel like their 4WD rivals at Toyota. Peugeot claim that suspension improvement is one of the major improvements over the outgoing 2008 DKR. The 3008 features double wishbones, coil springs and dual adjustable dampers at each corner. A 400 litre fuel tank rounds out the features that make the 3008 pretty much perfect for its job.
"Out of my way sand dune, I've got a Dakar Rally to win!"
So how were Peugeot so dominant this year? Reliability was certainly a key factor. With Toyota’s early rally leader Nasser Al-Attiyah retiring after a ripping a rear wheel off his Hilux nobody could touch the French team for speed and consistency. X-raid Mini’s hopes never materialized despite increased support from BMW, and Toyota had to settle for fourth, finishing over 40 minutes behind 3rd place Cyril Despres. Those suspension geometry changes must have really improved the car, and having most of the best drivers on your team can’t hurt either. Peugeot were simply the best at this year's Dakar, and wholly deserved to sweep the podium.
Above all others.
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Comments (2)
All good Patrick! You're absolutely right though. They both have serious motorsport talent
It's astonishing how underappreciated Peugeot (and citroen in fact) are as a Motorsport brand. They won LeMans, WRC, ERC, Rally Dakar, and claim successes all the time in national championships even when they seem less active on the world stages. Amateur Rally and Hillclimbs are full of small 205s, 309s, 106s, 206s, 207s, 208s and 306s. Especially the 106 seems popular. (I know my comment is a bit late)