DAKAR 2018: A THIRD CONSECUTIVE WIN FOR PEUGEOT
After 8793 kilometres of dunes, mountain passes, rocky tracks and assorted hazards through Peru, Bolivia and Argentina, the crew of Carlos Sainz/Lucas Cruz gave the Peugeot 3008DKR Maxi a magnificent victory on the 40th Dakar Rally.
The route of the 40th edition of the Dakar proved to be particularly demanding on the mechanical side. Following this demanding endurance test of nearly 9,000 kilometres, not only did the Peugeot 3008DKR Maxi win seven out of 13 stages but it also demonstrated remarkable reliability.
This year’s win from Team PEUGEOT Total completes Peugeot's already impressive track record of success in the Dakar Rally, and is their seventh win from eight attempts!
Here’s a quick reminder of everything Peugeot has achieved on the Dakar :
1987: Victory for Vatanen/Giroux (205 T16 Grand Raid)
1988: Victory for Kankkunen/Piironen (205 T16 Grand Raid)
1989: 1-2 for Vatanen/Berglund and Ickx/Tarin (405 T16 Grand Raid)
1990: 1-2-3 for Vatanen/Berglund, Waldegard/Fenouil (both 405 T16 Grand Raid), Ambrosino/Baumgartner (205 T16 Grand Raid)
2016: Victory for Peterhansel/Cottret (2008DKR)
2017: 1-2-3 for Peterhansel/Cottret, Loeb/Elena and Despres/Castera (3008DKR)
2018: Victory for Sainz/Cruz (3008DKR Maxi).
This third consecutive success for Team PEUGEOT Total on the most demanding rally in the world mirrors the commercial success of the Peugeot 3008 SUV, which was voted ‘Car of the Year’ in 2017.
KEY NUMBERS FROM THE 2018 DAKAR
Countries visited: Peru, Bolivia and Argentina.
Kilometres covered: 8793km, of which 4047km were competitive, over 14 legs and 13 stages.
Stage wins: 7 for the Peugeot 3008DKR Maxi out of 13 that were run.
- · 3 for Peterhansel/Cottret (SS5, SS8 and SS10)
- · 2 for Sainz/Cruz (SS6 and SS7)
- · 1 for Despres/Castera (SS2)
- · 1 for Loeb/Elena (SS4)
One-twos and one-two-threes: 4 one-twos (SS2, SS4, SS6 and SS8) including two one-two-threes (SS2 and SS4)
Rally leaders: Despres/Castera (SS2), Peterhansel/Cottret (SS3 to SS6) and Sainz/Cruz (SS7 to SS14).
Maximum speed: 195.9kph (Despres/Castera SS3)
Highest average speed: 108kph (Sainz/Cruz SS6)
Highest ambient temperature: 35° (SS13)
Lowest ambient temperature: 6° (SS6)
Maximum altitude: 4786m (SS8, Uyuni-Tupiza)
THE ADVENTURERS
TEAM PEUGEOT TOTAL
Winning the Dakar Rally three years in a row, and taking the top three places on the podium in 2017 does not happen by chance! It takes an extraordinary team, both during the race and behind the scenes, indestructible team spirit and painstaking work to accomplish this type of feat.
The PEUGEOT Total 'Dream Team' is made of drivers and co-drivers alongside a dedicated team of passionate experts. Mechanics, engineers, logisticians, and many more, all have the same calling for challenge and excellence. At each rally raid, they push themselves to the limit with the sole objective of racing to victory.
Sébastien LOEB / Daniel ELENA
After finishing second on last year's Dakar, just five minutes behind the winners, Sébastien Loeb and Daniel Elena started this year's event with the clear objective of winning. They made a great start to the rally, despite an itinerary through Peru that mainly consisted of dunes and off-piste driving, which was not really to their advantage. They then won SS4 in style, one of the most difficult stages of the modern Dakar in South America.
Unfortunately, while running second in the overall classification, they were forced to retire on SS5, between San Juan de Marcona and Arequipa in Peru.
Carlos SAINZ / Lucas CRUZ
Carlos Sainz and Lucas Cruz have been unlucky over the last three Dakars, but they bounced back in the strongest possible way.
Having driven a masterful rally from the start, the two Spaniards demonstrated both performance and consistency at the wheel of the no 303 Peugeot 3008DKR Maxi. They won SS6 and SS7 (out of 14) to take a lead on the marathon stage that they were never going to lose.
Stéphane PETERHANSEL / Jean-Paul COTTRET
Stéphane Peterhansel and Jean-Paul Cottret, the winners of the 2016 and 2017 Dakars with Peugeot, had an action-packed rally with two unfortunate setbacks. On both occasions, their team mates Cyril Despres and David Castera helped them fix their car and continue.
These mishaps meant that they lost first and then second place in the overall classification. Nonetheless they finished fourth after proving to be the fasted crew of the whole Team PEUGEOT Total Squad, with three stage victories.
THE PEUGEOT 3008 DKR MAXI
The Peugeot 3008DKR underwent substantial changes to make sure it was up to the challenges awaiting it during the 2018 Dakar Rally. The Peugeot Sport technical team surpassed itself to make the lioness even more reliable, stable and high-performance!
The all-new Peugeot 3008DKR Maxi was designed to tackle the unmarked dirt tracks, shifting sand dunes and rocky off-road terrain in the most challenging rally raid in the world.
The design of the all-new Peugeot 3008DKR Maxi is modelled on the standard Peugeot 3008 SUV, with a 3.0-litre twin-turbo engine that is loyal to Peugeot's two-wheel drive philosophy. The most visible change is that it is 20cm wider than its predecessor giving the car greater stability at speed. The suspension has also been tuned to make the car more manoeuvrable and responsive.
The four drivers and four co-drivers of Team Peugeot Total actively participated in the development and testing programmes in 2017; clocking up more than 18,000 kilometres in Morocco, Portugal and France during extensive training sessions. Dedication and hard work which resulted in a fantastic victory!
| Length | 4312 mm | Engine | V6 bi turbo diesel od 340 hp |
| Width | 2400 mm | Torque | 800 Nm |
| Height | 1799 mm | Gearbox | Sequential |
| Wheelbase | 3000 mm | Discs Diameter | 355 mm |
| Transmission Type | Two-wheel drive | Tank Capacity | 400 L |
FROM DUST TO ROADS
We keep going back to the Dakar Rally every year for the countless number of lessons we learn from the toughest rally raid in the world. And all of these lessons and innovations have been incorporated into our Peugeot SUV range.