Dacia Sandriders will use a brand new, modern driver protection device in the course of the team's debut within the Dakar Rally.
The manufacturer will include a “seat damper” that may absorb impacts on uneven terrain because the automobile hits the suspension up and down, helping to alleviate spine pressure for drivers who’ve been injured lately.
Technical partner Prodrive has developed a shock absorber system that may function on all three Dacia models piloted by Nasser Al-Attiyah, Sebastien Loeb and Cristina Gutierrez, ahead of widespread inclusion within the World Rally Championship [WR2C] regulations from 2027
Explaining how the system works, technical director Philip Dunabin said: “There have been a variety of accidents during rallies where cars have landed very hard, leading to many back injuries, particularly to co-drivers, but additionally to guide drivers.
“So Prodrive has been working on a system to enable the addition of what known as a seat damper, in order that when the impact exceeds a certain level of G, the seat moves and acts as a shock absorber system, so the seat isn’t completely rigidly attached.
“During normal operation, the seat doesn't move in any respect, but when there's a extremely big impact, it may well move down and absorb the impact.
“This is an improvement that Prodrive has been working on for this project, so for the time being these are the one cars equipped with this technique.
“The app… will be included in rally regulations for all new cars from 2027. But it's already in effect here.”
Philip Dunabin, technical director of Dacia Sandriders
Photo: Dacia
Dacia's efforts, with the support of Renault Group's Alpine Racing division, will include a variety of technologies that might be transferred to the Romanian manufacturer's road automobile models.
“Dacia has been working on pigments and resin, in this case carbon fiber,” Dunabin told Motorsport.com during a recent visit to the Prodrive base.
“These are pigments which might be designed to limit the absorption of infrared, and thus maintain a lower temperature in cars. They are used for arranging pigments in road cars.
“They also brought back a really matte infrared reflective paint that they are going to use in the longer term on road cars.
“We use it here in things just like the dashboard to make sure low levels of reflection and glare from the windshield.
“There are elements that are not yet in the car that have to do with materials for the seats etc. that come directly from Dacia road cars, and of course there is also the work that they are helping us with in our work on sustainable fuels through the partnership with Aramco.”
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