Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com Autoblog http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Volkwagen readying Touareg 2 for 2009 Dakar]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2008/10/27/volkwagen-readying-touareg-2-for-2009-dakar/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/10/27/volkwagen-readying-touareg-2-for-2009-dakar/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/10/27/volkwagen-readying-touareg-2-for-2009-dakar/#commentsFiled under: , ,


Click above for a high-res gallery of the Volkswagen Touareg 2 Race

Volkswagen Motorsport is putting four factory-backed teams in next year's 'Dakar' Rally, which will actually be held in South America, and they'll all be driving the new Race Touareg 2. The insanely intricate spaceframe chassis vehicles are being built in Germany and will use will use a 2.5-liter TDI with 276 hp and. The 15-stage race is expected to be more grueling than usual because of the extreme changes in altitude and terrain, but perhaps it will give other teams a chance to break Mitsubishi's seven-year chokehold on the winner's dais. Volkswagen's best chance at victory could be with driver Carlos Sainz, the 1990 WRC champion, and navigator Michel Perlin, a three-time Dakar winning navigator. The last -- and only -- time VW won the Dakar Rally was in 1980, with the Volkswagen Iltis.

Gallery: Volkswagen Race Touareg 2

Continue reading Volkwagen readying Touareg 2 for 2009 Dakar

Volkwagen readying Touareg 2 for 2009 Dakar originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 27 Oct 2008 13:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>2009 dakar2009 dakar rally2009Dakar2009DakarRallydakardakar rallyDakarRallymotorsportsrace touareg 2RaceTouareg2touareg 2Touareg2volkswagenvwMon, 27 Oct 2008 13:58:00 EST<![CDATA[2009 Dakar Rally to be held in Argentina and Chile]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2008/02/11/2009-dakar-rally-to-be-held-in-argentina-and-chile/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/02/11/2009-dakar-rally-to-be-held-in-argentina-and-chile/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/02/11/2009-dakar-rally-to-be-held-in-argentina-and-chile/#commentsFiled under:

As we reported last week, the Amaury Sport Organization that has held the annual Dakar Rally uninterrupted since 1979 has forged ahead after this year's event was cancelled an account of terrorist threats. They've already announced a new schedule of events called the Dakar Series that will kick off with the Central Europe Rally to be held April 20-26 in Romania and Hungary, and now they've gotten around to picking the venue for next year's official Dakar Rally.

The fine nations of Argentina and Chile will be the new location for the 2009 Dakar Rally. The 9000 kilometer-long rally will be held January 3-18 and use the city of Buenos Aires as its start and finish line. Competitors who have raced in previous Dakar rallies in Africa as well as rallies in South America are surmising that the relocated Dakar event could actually be more difficult than it was before, which is fine with them. Mitsubishi, which has won the Dakar Rally every year since 2001, is also interested in competing again, and all the competitors quoted by the AFP seem genuinely impressed that the ASO has moved so quickly to reestablish the race and grow a new series just one month after the 2008 Dakar Rally was cancelled.

[Source: Associated Free Press, Photo by GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP/Getty]

2009 Dakar Rally to be held in Argentina and Chile originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 11 Feb 2008 16:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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