Pikes Peak en Dacia Duster 800 ch ! (VIDEO Glimpse)

Colorado Springs, May 27———L’assault de la Pikes Peak en Dacia Duster de 800 ch ! Dacia has decided to take on the world’s most famous and most challenging hill climb, the 89th Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, on June 26 in Colorado Springs.

Dacia will enter the storied event with a purpose-built 850hp prototype, the Dacia Duster ‘No Limit’, driven by three-time Trophée Andros champion Jean-Philippe Dayraut, whose ambitious target is quite simply to challenge for the win in the loaded Unlimited Division, which includes five-time champion and record holder Nobuhiro Tajima, Rhys Millen, Mark Rennison, Paul Dallenbach and Dave Carapetyan.

The Renault Group brand Dacia has caused a genuine stir in the motoring world.

In the space of just seven years of consistent growth, it has become one of the market’s mainstream players. Indeed, thanks to a range of particularly reliable, spacious and carefully designed vehicles which all deliver an unbeatable performance and equipment package for their price, Dacia has emerged as one of the industry’s genuine success stories.

Launched in April 2010, the sixth vehicle of the brand’s line-up, the Duster off-roader, was an immediate hit and sales to date have reached almost 127,000 vehicles worldwide. The model has also become the star of the brand’s motorsport activities, taking part in competitions like France’s Trophée Andros ice-racing series with Alain Prost (two runner-up titles), the Rallye Aïcha des Gazelles (2nd and 3rd places in 2011) and, very soon, the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb.

Its passion for motorsport mirrors the bold and ambitious values promoted by the brand.

Dacia Duster ‘No Limit’ is an exceptional, extremely powerful car. It was purpose built by teams from Tork Engineering (design, production, assembly, development) and Sodemo (engine), in association with Renault Sport Technologies, which brought its unique motorsport expertise to the table, as well as the supply of certain components.

Dacia Duster ‘No Limit’ complies with the specific regulations of the American competition’s ‘Unlimited’ class which sets no upper limit on the size or power output of the engine. There is no minimum weight, any tires may be used and there are no restrictions concerning either the transmission system or aerodynamics.

Beneath its glass-fiber outer skin, the Dacia Duster ‘No Limit’ conceals a number of sophisticated features, including:

– A powerful 850hp engine:
Specially built by Sodemo and based on the Nissan GT-R’s NISSAN VR 38 DETT block (3.8-litre V6), the power plant of Dacia Duster ‘No Limit’ has been tuned to deliver maximum performance despite the high altitudes on Pikes Peak.

– A specific gearbox:
The engine is mated to a sequential six-speed Sadev box specially developed to cope with so much power, while at the same time ensuring quick, precise gearshifts.

– Advanced aerodynamics:
The sort of aerodynamic package featured on Dacia Duster ‘No Limit’ is of a sort that is rarely authorized in motorsport. It was developed in the wind tunnel and the rear wings are especially impressive.

JEAN-PHILIPPE DAYRAUT: A DRIVER WITH A DREAM

Jean-Philippe Dayraut has long dreamed of contesting the Pikes Peak Hill Climb in such an exceptional car. It was he who managed to convince Dacia and Renault Sport Technologies to join him in this extraordinary adventure.

The event calls for impeccable traction, despite the fact that grip varies as the asphalt-dirt course surfaces switches from one type of surface to the other. Only professional drivers with experience of circuit racing and competing on loose surfaces (gravel, ice) can hope to figure at the top of the order. With no fewer than six French titles in single-seater and touring car racing and three Trophée Andros crowns – including the last one – to his name, Dayraut is ideally qualified for the mission.

“The Pikes Peak Hill Climb is the only event where you get to keep a monster like this in check while drifting at speeds of 200kph on a course which features a mix of asphalt and dirt,” notes Dayraut. “I can’t think of any other form of motorsport where such cars are authorized.”

The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, which began in 1916, is America’s second oldest motor sports race behind the Indy 500. The race is staged on a 12.42 mile course with 156 turns. It begins at 9,390 feet and ends at the famous mountain’s 14,110 foot summit above Colorado Springs.
A featured event along with the race is the popular “Fan Fest,” which takes place on Friday evening, June 24, in downtown Colorado Springs, with more than 30,000 fans on hand to meet the competitors, see the autos and motorcycles, and enjoy music, food and entertainment.

Ticket prices begin at $40.00, with a Family Four-Pack available at $125.00 and VIP admission priced at $80.00. Tickets, limited camping permits and all other race information is available at www.ppihc.com