With back-to-back victories at the Dakar Rally already in the bag the constant challenge to adapt and improve remains at the heart of Team Peugeot Total’s operation. Now they have reached the pinnacle of rally-raid they intend to stay there – helping them to achieve this goal is the latest beast of a machine created in their workshop.
The new Peugeot 3008DKR Maxi is – as the name suggests – bigger than their previous model: with a wider track designed to help it conquer the gravel roads, dunes and mountains of the most famous endurance rallies in the world.
“There’s only one thing more difficult than winning and that’s carrying on winning, against very strong opposition.” – Bruno Famin, Peugeot Sport Director
The new car is 20 centimetres wider than the Peugeot 3008DKR which proceeded it, due to the suspension track on each side being increased by 10 centimetres. To achieve this, the upper and lower wishbones are new, as well as front and rear track rod ends and driveshafts. As a result, the stability and dynamics of the car are improved, generating increased performance.
Quick facts
Height 1 799mm
Length 4 312mm
Width 2 400mm
Top speed 200kph
Engine V6 Bi-Turbo diesel
Power 250kW
Torque 800Nm
Suspension double wishbone with 460mm of travel
“I’d say the strongest point of the Peugeot 3008DKR Maxi is the offroad ability that it has. With its wide track and big wheels, it can go more or less anywhere.” – Sébastien Loeb, Team Peugeot Total driver
Watch a video of the Peugeot 3008 DKR Maxi here.
This latest evolution designed by Peugeot Sport’s engineers is still undergoing development, but will make its debut on the 2017 Silk Way Rally that goes from Russia to China next month in the hands of nine-time world rally champion Sébastien Loeb, who finished second on the Dakar this year and is contesting the Silk Way for the second time.
He will be joined on the adventure, which runs from July 7-22, by team-mates Stéphane Peterhansel and last year’s Silk Way winner Cyril Despres: but they will be driving the current specification of Peugeot 3008DKR which dominated the Dakar podium earlier this season.
Carlos Sainz, the fourth member of Peugeot’s D-ream Team that will reunite to tackle the Dakar again next year, has also helped to develop Peugeot’s newest offroad challenger, with the Spaniard’s experience proving to be crucial.
“It’s fantastic to see how our engineers try to extract the maximum possible all the time, and how they immediately think of the next steps just as soon as one Dakar has finished.” – Carlos Sainz, Team Peugeot Total driver
Loeb’s role on the Silk Way will be to assess the evolution of the new Maxi model, in order to steer the development direction. However, as team director Bruno Famin points out, there can only be one overall objective on this arduous 15-day event: victory.
Source: Red Bull Desert Wings