The 2016 Rallye du Maroc was this diesel buggy’s last race. Oh, not because it got wadded up like an empty beer can at a frat party. The thing went on to win the last stage after getting turned into this trash heap by some sand dunes.
Okay so it took a little more than just “buffing” to get the Peugeot rally team’s 2008 DKR buggy back in business, but damn it these guys did it. Let their montage be the inspiration you need this Monday to kick the week’s ass.
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And never catch yourself thinking “factory teams don’t work hard” again.
I haven’t been able to find any footage of the wipeout, but motorcycle-rally-champ-turned-Peugeot-factory-driver Cyril Despres put the vehicle through “a series of rolls” in the first stage of the Moroccan rally according to Peugeot’s post-race press release.
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As you can see in the clip the team’s technicians busted butt though the night to make the car right again, and it went on to finish the race. Win the last stage, even.
Peugeot isn’t retiring the 2008 DKR because it got wrecked– it’s because they already have a better car. The 3008 DKR, introduced a few months ago, is supposed to be better balanced and more reliable.
The car will run a 3.0 twin-turbo diesel, like the 2008, but with a powerband pushed a little lower. The new car will also have air conditioning according to CarAdvice.com.au.
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We’ll hear more specifics on the 3008 DKR as we get closer to the beast it was born to battle: the 2017 Dakar Rally. The 5,000-plus mile race kicks off at the beginning of January and pretty much rages across South America for most of the month.