Volkswagen’s entry for the 2009 Dakar rally is the Volkswagen Race Touareg 2. Four units of these offroad racing monsters will be piloted by Spaniard Carlos Sainz and his French navigator Michel Perlin; Giniel de Villiers (South Africa) and Dirk von Zitzewith (Germany); Mark Miller (USA) and Ralph Pitchford (South Africa) and Dieter Depping partnered with fellow German Timo Gottschalk.
The Race Touareg 2 is built from an aluminium tube frame, with the body panels fitted over it, much like how the Racing Lancer is constructed. The racers will be supported by a team of support and service trucks. The racers and the support trucks together with parts and equipment will be shipped to Le Havre, France for scrutineering before being shipped over to South America for the Dakar race.
Powering the Race Touareg 2 racers are 2.5 litre TDI engines which can produce 280 PS, build by Volkswagen Motorsport in Hanover, Germany.
Look after the jump for photos of the tube frame.
After dabbling for years in the IT industry, Paul Tan initially began this site as a general blog covering various topics of personal interest. With an increasing number of readers paying rapt attention to the motoring stories, one thing led to another and the rest, as they say, is history. An avid electronic gadget aficionado as well as big-time coffee lover, he's also the executive producer of the Driven motoring TV programme.
it is yet another fierce looking 4×4.
Seriously is there a limit to turbo diesel in extracting more horsepower?
Navara 2.5 170 ps
This 2.5, 280 ps
First!
Wow I can’t even recognise it is a Touareg !!
THE UGLIEST BUT FASTEST TOUAREG
It not TOUAREG at all, it match the sponsor well : THE RED BULL (but with blue color and without twin horn) haha
wow…just like a hotrod body wearing the touareg cover. Think the driver will be dead in the first place by absorbing all the vibration during the heavy accident rather than the car spoilt due to the strong “hotrod”…
not bad…. the structure of the toareg is designed specifically for full-offroad…
looks nothing like the oringinal touareg.
I hope VW wins the rally this time. They have been playing second fiddle to Mitsubishi the last few years. They are still the team to beat.
when will they show it on tv..and when..
Powering the Race Touareg 2 racers are 2.5 liter TDI engines which can produce 280 PS
________________________________________________________________
the toughest endure race in the world…the toughest car, xkan guna engine dat produce only 280 ps? can anyone explain this?
Powering the Race Touareg 2 racers are 2.5 liter TDI engines which can produce 280 PS
________________________________________________________________
the toughest endure race in the world…the toughest car, xkan guna engine dat produce only 280 ps? can anyone explain this? why not 450ps or 550 ps ? hehhee
fighter_B2500 said,
Powering the Race Touareg 2 racers are 2.5 liter TDI engines which can produce 280 PS
________________________________________________________________
the toughest endure race in the world…the toughest car, xkan guna engine dat produce only 280 ps? can anyone explain this? why not 450ps or 550 ps ? hehhee
ever heard of something called reliability bro?
fighter_B2500 said,
Powering the Race Touareg 2 racers are 2.5 liter TDI engines which can produce 280 PS
________________________________________________________________
the toughest endure race in the world…the toughest car, xkan guna engine dat produce only 280 ps? can anyone explain this? why not 450ps or 550 ps ? hehhee
ever heard of something called reliability bro?
——————————————-
MISTHUBISHI WINS THIS EVERY YEAr, so they are the most reliable?
in this kind of race..they’r not fully depending on raw power..it’s abt driving technique n engine reliability. i think the engineer focus more on torque..not hp. they’r using the vehicle in the middle of the desert..so they dont really need high powered+fast vehicle.
n btw, to be a champ..car reliability is PART of it.
if proton joins, sure die
if proton joins, not necessary will die. it’ll has all the sponsorships and helps it can get, especially from our G. but does it even qualify lol.
ALPINA BMW said,
October 26, 2008 @ 3:55 pm
fighter_B2500 said,
Powering the Race Touareg 2 racers are 2.5 liter TDI engines which can produce 280 PS
________________________________________________________________
the toughest endure race in the world…the toughest car, xkan guna engine dat produce only 280 ps? can anyone explain this? why not 450ps or 550 ps ? hehhee
ever heard of something called reliability bro?
——————————————-
MISTHUBISHI WINS THIS EVERY YEAr, so they are the most reliable?
——————————————————–
last dakar rally on early stage was lead by tuoareg drive by carlos sainz, only after his car crash (hit the tree, if im not mistake) then the mitsu overtake and lead the race untill the end…
fighter_B2500 said,
October 27, 2008 @ 12:06 am
ALPINA BMW said,
October 26, 2008 @ 3:55 pm
fighter_B2500 said,
Powering the Race Touareg 2 racers are 2.5 liter TDI engines which can produce 280 PS
________________________________________________________________
the toughest endure race in the world…the toughest car, xkan guna engine dat produce only 280 ps? can anyone explain this? why not 450ps or 550 ps ? hehhee
ever heard of something called reliability bro?
——————————————-
MISTHUBISHI WINS THIS EVERY YEAr, so they are the most reliable?
——————————————————–
last dakar rally on early stage was lead by tuoareg drive by carlos sainz, only after his car crash (hit the tree, if im not mistake) then the mitsu overtake and lead the race untill the end…
———————————————————
this year no more colin mcrae….wat about bmw, are they in this year?
this year no more colin mcrae….wat about bmw, are they in this year?
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last time there was X3 drive by an arabic sheikh…but its indipendence team, not factory team..so dont hope so much that they can beat the factory support mitsu and VW
ignas said,
October 26, 2008 @ 11:07 pm
if proton joins, not necessary will die. it’ll has all the sponsorships and helps it can get, especially from our G. but does it even qualify lol.
———————————————-
its got nothing to do with qualification. if you decide to enter the dakar, you take money out(sponsored or otherwise), and build a car for the class you want to enter. the dakar is all about getting the right team, the right strategy, and lots of luck.
and how do you explain proton going racing with government money? if you cant, maybe you should just can those type of comments.
proton has raced internationally, and has been successful on many occasions and i give tribute to them for doing it. its not like someone sitting behind a computer typing on a keyboard and just talking about it.
then there’s those nissans, ktm….