DongFeng Challenge Dakar stage 10 review 16.01.2014: At three days to reach the finish line in Valparaíso, Dakar Rally competitors met the route between Iquique and Antofagasta, crossing sandy and dusty tracks of the Atacama

DONGFENG Challenge   January, 15 : Dakar 10th day



At three days to reach the finish line in Valparaíso, Dakar Rally competitors met the route between Iquique and Antofagasta, crossing sandy and dusty tracks of the Atacama Desert.
 

Members of DONGFENG Challenge are already taking valuable conclusions about their truck’s performance. The base quality of their components has shown excellent parameters for its reliability, with which a good number of standard elements may be used in competition: chassis, front and rear axles, differentials, the steering system and other components will be used unchanged.
 

On the other hand, it should be necessary to install an engine of the same quality, but able to reach a power of about 1,000 HP regardless of its higher consumption (originally, this model has 375 HP and 1,700 Nm of torque).


Fuller gearbox is extremely robust and ideal for heavy work, even though for running should be replaced with another drive much faster, synchronized and electro-pneumatically operated via joystick. This is because in a rally like this changing gear occurs more than 30,000 times during the event.


Every tenth of a second saved in this process results at the end of competition in long minutes that mean an important step forward in the standings. As for the suspension, the race use carries a specific design that is  very different from that of the series due to low weight of the rally truck and high speed the rally develops.
 
 
The eleventh stage will go from Antofagasta to El Salvador with a total of 749 kilometers (605 and 144 link section).
 


Facts and figures

With the growth of social networks, the Dakar Rally is followed by 615,000 fans on Facebook and 60,000 on Twitter in addition to approximately 1,000 million viewers in 190 countries who watch the race through 70 television channels.




Did you know…?

Currently, no Chinese truck is involved in the internationally renowned Dakar Rally. In the recent past, there have been incursions of truck brands and motorcycles, but participating in the heavyweight’s category is still a pending issue.


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