There are just over six months to the start of the 2018 Dakar. But after two consecutive victories in the 2016 and 2017 editions, Peugeot starts again as the big favorite to triumph in next year's edition.
And as “in a team that wins, it doesn't move”, the new car – dubbed the Peugeot 3008DKR MAXI – is an evolution of the 3008DKR and 2008DKR that dominated the previous editions.
The new car is 20 centimeters wider than the previous one (a total of 2.40 m) due to the expansion of the suspension travel by 10 cm on each side. The upper and lower suspension triangles, ball joints and axles were also changed. The aim of Peugeot Sport engineers was to ensure greater stability and improve the vehicle's dynamics.
As it's still under development, the spec list has yet to be revealed, but it shouldn't be too different from last year's 3008DKR: a 3.0 V6 twin-turbo engine with 340hp and 800Nm, aimed only at the rear axle.
The Peugeot 3008DKR Maxi will make its competitive debut at the Silk Way Rally 2017, a decisive step in the implementation of technical procedures, facing a 10,000 km route between Moscow (Russia) and X'ian (China), through the Kazakhstan steppes .
Sébastien Loeb, Peugeot Total pilotI think the car is more stable now that it's wider. Feelings are a little different behind the wheel. In the narrow and technical parts it's more complicated, but in terms of stability and direction it's actually better.
Veteran Sébastien Loeb will test the changes made to the new car, with a view to the 2018 Dakar. But the French driver will not be alone: his compatriots will be Stéphane Peterhansel, winner of the Dakar 2017, and also Cyril Despres , the winner of the Silk Way Rally 2016, both at the wheel of last year's 3008DKR.
The Spaniard Carlos Sainz, who will rejoin the Peugeot team in the next Dakar, was involved in the development of the Peugeot 3008DKR Maxi, during the three test sessions that took place in France, Morocco and also in Portugal.
