Satu pasukan dari tokoh-tokoh dan juara-juara perlumbaan kereta lumba Malaysia akan bersaing dalam Asia Cross Country Rally (AXCR), satu perlumbaan Rentas Negara yang disenaraikan oleh FIA yang bermula pada tahun 1996. Malaysia menjadi tuan rumah untuk perlumbaan motorsport ini selama enam tahun dari 1996 hingga 2003, memaparkan yang terbaik di Malaysia dalam satu acara yang diiktiraf secara global yang merentasi sempadan, budaya, dan masyarakat.
Kini, dua puluh tahun kemudian, Malaysia bangga dapat menjadi tuan rumah bersama Thailand untuk perlumbaan Rentas Negara yang prestij ini. Acara di sini akan mempamerkan keindahan alam semula jadi, bandar, kampung, masyarakat, dan budaya yang pelbagai di “Malaysia: Truly Asia”. AXCR kini menjadi fenomena Asia (acara rentas negara tertua dan terbesar di Asia) yang melibatkan pasukan lumba automotif pengeluar, syarikat swasta besar, dan peminat lasak 4X4 yang ekstrem.
A Team of motorsport legends and champions of Malaysia will compete in the Asia Cross Country Rally (AXCR), an FIA Sanctioned Cross Country Rally that began its first journey in 1996. Malaysia hosted this prestigious motorsport for six years from 1996 – 2003, showcasing the best of Malaysia in a world-staged event that bridges borders, cultures and people.
Now, twenty years later, Malaysia is proud to be able to co-host this prestigious rally with Thailand. The event here will showcase its beautiful nature, cities, villages, people, and diverse cultures of “Malaysia: Truly Asia”. AXCR is now an Asian phenomenon (the oldest and largest cross country event in Asia) that has auto manufacturers’ race teams, large private corporations, and extreme 4 X 4 enthusiasts participating in this Cross Country Rally.
In an era when automakers once expected their sports cars to clinch rally victories, Nissan’s tribute to its 1971 East African Safari Rally success in a 240Z is a compelling nod to those glory days. This one-of-a-kind rally Z, crafted by the skilled hands of Tommy Pike, makes its debut at the 2023 SEMA show, capturing the essence of past triumphs.
Tommy Pike’s creation has seen the rally Z lifted, thanks to the installation of KW Safari suspension, bolstered by a selection of NISMO components. The rugged appearance is complemented by 17 x 7.5-inch prototype NISMO Safari wheels shod in Yokohama GEOLANDAR M/T G003 tires, resulting in an impressive 2-inch increase in ride height.
Protection for the Z’s underbelly is paramount. Front bumper guards and a skid plate have been thoughtfully added to safeguard against rough terrain, while NISMO Off Road LED lights provide crucial illumination.
Inside the cabin, driver safety is a top priority, with Recaro Pole Position seats adorned with four-point harnesses.
Under the bonnet, the twin-turbo V6 has received the skilled tuning hand of AMS, pushing power output beyond the 400hp mark. This performance boost is made possible through a comprehensive list of enhancements, including a cat-back exhaust system, cold air intake, a carbon fibre engine cover, a coolant expansion tank, a street twin-disc clutch, and flywheel.
Visually, the Safari Rally Z Tribute is a striking sight, finished in red with a distinctive black hood. The design harks back to the iconic number 11 Datsun 240Z that secured victory in the 1971 East African Safari Rally, with Edgar Herrmann at the wheel and Hans Schüller navigating. This win marked a significant milestone for the brand, being the second consecutive victory following the Datsun Bluebird 1600SSS’s triumph in 1970.
Nissan’s homage to its rally heritage, as witnessed in the 2023 SEMA show build, serves as a powerful reminder of the bygone era when sports cars were expected to dominate rally circuits, and Nissan certainly left an indelible mark in those legendary races.
For Karamjit Singh, age is just a number and at 60, he still has ‘The Right Stuff’ to not only compete in rallies but also become a champion. The younger generation may have physical agility and perhaps even more bravery but this uncle has experience in the sport that goes back over 35 years – before some of them were even born!
Driving a Proton Gen2, Karamjit and co-driver Jagdev Singh were today crowned champions of the 2022 VANTAGE Malaysian National Rally Championship (MNRC). ‘The Flying Sikh’ shows that his age is no barrier (nor is the age of his rallycar which is 15 years old) and has been recognized as Asia’s most successful rally driver.
The Hyundai Motorsport team scored another WRC victory at the Ypres Rally Belgium as Ott Tanak took his Hyundai i20N Rally1 to win with a 5-second margin. The Estonian driver, co-driven by compatriot Martin Jarveoja, inherited the top spot late on the penultimate day when his team-mate and long-time leader Thierry Neuville understeered off the road and into a ditch, shattering the Belgian’s hopes of a repeat home win.
Tanak, who had also won the last round in Finland earlier this month, carried an 8.2-second buffer over Elfyn Evans (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) into Sunday’s final leg, which comprised 4 short and sharp asphalt stages in the Flanders region. Although Evans did not make things easy for the leader, with two fastest time times on the opening stages, he was still unable to close the gap.
Tanak’s success reduces the gap with championship leader Kalle Rovanpera. The Toyota GAZOO Racing driver got nothing from this rally as he rolled his hybrid rallycar out of contention on Friday morning. The 21-year-old Finn was, however, able to collect 5 Wolf Power Stage bonus points and, with 72 points, remains on track to become the youngest WRC champion in history.
The two Hyundai wins have not managed to take the team any higher and the Manufacturers’ championship situation remains unchanged. The Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team remains behind Toyota GAZOO Racing WRT with an 88-point gap. In third is the M-SPORT Ford World Rally Team, 191 points behind the leader.
“To win here is a big surprise for us – more or less the same as it was in Finland,” said Tanak. “We didn’t expect it from anywhere basically, but somehow we were able to pull it together during the rally. It’s great to see that some WRC results are coming, but there is so much we can improve and we could still be a lot stronger, so there is still some work to do.”
For Evans, it was a case of what could have been. He gave away valuable seconds on Friday when a slow puncture forced him to run a wet weather tyre in dry conditions. He was also lumbered with a 10-second time penalty for arriving late to SS8. Without that, the outcome could have been different.
Rally2 & Rally3 WRC Rally2 cars also finished within the top 10, with FIA WRC2 victor Stephane Lefebvre leading the charge in a DG Sport Citroen C3 Rally2 ahead of Andreas Mikkelsen (Toksport WRT Skoda Fabia Rally2 Evo, Yohan Rossel (PH Sport Citroen) and Chris Ingram (Toksport Skoda), who won the WRC2 Junior division. Armin Kremer took WRC2 Masters glory, while Jan Cerny topped WRC3 in a Ford Fiesta Rally3.
Public debut of hydrogen-fuelled Yaris The public debut of the Toyota GR Yaris H2 concept took place on the stages in Belgium, and was completed by Toyota rally legend Juha Kankkunen driving the Power Stage ahead of the competitive field in the hydrogen-fuelled car.
The rally was the first time for Toyota to drive an under-development hydrogen-engine vehicle on public roads outside Japan. The GR Yaris H2 served as a testcar and ran ahead of a Safety Car that confirms safe conditions before the start. After driving the GR Yaris H2 himself on Saturday, Team Founder Akio Toyoda had the chance to ride alongside Kankkunen.
The Extreme E series, which is the off-road version of Formula E, will enter its second season this year after an exciting inaugural season in 2021. Although 3 of the original venues on the calendar could not be used due to concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic, the organisers still managed to finish the season with 5 rounds in different parts of the world.
This year, there will again be 5 rounds with 7 teams taking part; last year, 9 teams took part. Each team has to have one male and one female, with both taking turns to drive on the competitive stages.
Abt CUPRA Tavascan XE all-electric rallycar in action during the 2021 Extreme E series.
Two Dakar Rally veterans
The Abt CUPRA XE team, which finished 5th overall last year, is among the entrants and its drivers will be Nasser Al-Attiyah and Jutta Kleinschmidt. Both drivers are veterans in off-road events, with Qatari Al-Attiyah having won the Dakar Rally 4 times, his most recent win being this year’s event. German driver Kleinschmidt, who drove for the team in 4 rounds last year, is also a Dakar Rally (2001) winner and is still the only woman to win the world’s toughest rally.
Updated rallycar
The duo will use the new CUPRA Tavascan XE which was shown in concept form about 5 months ago. It is an updated version of the 2021 rallycar and is powered by a 54 kWh battery pack, placed behind the cockpit which contributes to an optimal vehicle weight distribution. It can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in around 4 seconds.
The CUPRA Tavascan XE is more sustainable and environmentally-focussed than before. It comes equipped with 3D-printed parts to improve adaptability and make repairing the vehicle far easier and quicker, a crucial consideration when the event venues are in remote areas.
While the bodywork of the all-electric racing vehicle hints at the design language that will be seen on the future series production CUPRA Tavascan, the platform is similar to that used by other teams. Known as ODYSSEY 21, it has a common package of standardised parts and is manufactured by Spark Racing Technology. This encompasses a niobium-reinforced steel alloy tubular frame, as well as crash structure and roll cage, whilst the tyres are designed especially for the extreme conditions by Continental Tyres, a founding partner of the series.
“I’m very excited,” said Al-Attiyah, 51, who has won over 60 rallies and 13 titles. “I believe this is going to be a massive experience for me as the Extreme E Championship is a step forward towards a better future. I’m proud to have joined the CUPRA tribe for this adventure, and I know we can do a great job. The team’s background, combined with the experience of Jutta and me, can consolidate all the great work so far. We are really determined, and the goal is to win. I can’t wait to be sat in the car and start having fun. Let’s make the most of this opportunity!”
First round in Saudi Arabia again
The first round of the 2022 Extreme E series will be on February 19 and 20 in Neom, Saudi Arabia, which should be familiar territory to Al-Attiyah and Kleinschmidt. His closest rival in the desert would be Sebastian Loeb, who has won the World Rally Championship 9 times and is familiar with the Dakar Rally. Loeb’s team mate in the X44 Team, Cristina Gutierrez, has also participated in the Dakar Rally and Extreme E last year. Another veteran off-road driver with experience in Saudi Arabia is Carlos Sainz, who will be in the Acciona | Sainz XE team.
A ship is used to transport the vehicles and equipment to each location, reducing the carbon footprint of the Extreme E series.
At each venue, the participants learn about the environmental issues that need to be addressed and help to create awareness. Researchers also accompany the organisers to conduct studies and collect information, with a Science Laboratory on board the ship for them to use.
The other side of Extreme E
As in the first season, transportation of the vehicles and other equipment to each location is by ship. This is to minimise the carbon footprint Extreme E and though slower, travel by sea is a less carbon-intensive equivalent compared to using aircraft. The ship, called the St. Helena, has been re-engineered to be more efficient and includes a Science Laboratory for use by the researchers who follow the series and conduct environmental studies at each location.
Apart from providing the excitement of motor racing, Extreme E will also be used to raise awareness of environmental and climatic challenges that the world faces, particularly looking at the ecosystems selected for the races. In the case of Saudi Arabia, where the first round will be held, focus will be on the desertification there which epitomises the challenges of the global climate crisis and the importance of regreening and encouraging resilient ecosystems.
Audi will return to the international rallying arena in 2022 when it competes in the Dakar Rally. The brand shot to prominence in the World Rally Championship in the 1980s with its superior all-wheel drive Quattro, winning a number of championships and revolutionizing the sport. Then it competed in other areas, a dominant force in the World Endurance Championship (WEC) endurance racing three years in a row. More recently, it has participated in Formula E, the all-electric single-seater series, which has served to highlight the brand’s pioneering technology in electrified vehicles.
In the 1980s, Audi was the dominant force in the World Rally Championship with its all-wheel drive Quattro.
“Formula E has accompanied the transformation phase at Audi. Now we are taking the next step in electrified motorsport by facing the most extreme conditions. The many technical freedoms offered by the Dakar Rally provide a perfect test laboratory for us in this respect,” said Markus Duesmann, Chairman of the Board of Management and Board of Management Member for Technical Development and Product Lines at Audi AG.
First carmaker to commit alternative drive for rally
Audi is the first carmaker that has committed to develop a viable alternative drive concept for the Dakar Rally, making it a pioneer in motorsport once again. It has a prototype with the alternative drive concept that combines an electric drivetrain with a high-voltage battery and a highly efficient energy converter for the first time.
With the use of an alternative drive concept in the Dakar Rally, the vehicle will be driven in the most extreme conditions. The aim is to permanently improve the performance of the electric drivetrain and the battery in the years to come. The experience gained in this process should then be incorporated into the further development of future electrified production models.
AudiSport has been involved in Formula E with the ABT Schaeffler team.
Exit from Formula E after 2021
The Dakar Rally will replace Audi’s factory involvement in Formula E, which will no longer be continued in the form of an AudiSport factory team after the 2021 season. The use of the newly developed Audi powertrain by customer teams like ABT Schaeffler will remain possible beyond next year.
“A multifaceted commitment to motorsport is and will remain an integral part of Audi’s strategy,” said Duesmann. “We want to continue demonstrating the brand’s slogan ‘Vorsprung durch Technik’ in international top-level motorsport in the future and develop innovative technologies for our road cars.
The Audi R18 won three years in a row at Le Mans,
It is also learnt that Audi will return to endurance racing and take part in the new LMDh category. This is a cost-effective formula as the same car can be used in the WEC as well as the American IMSA series.
“We are intensively preparing to enter the new sports prototype category LMDh with its highlight races, the Daytona 24 Hours and Le Mans 24 Hours,” confirmed Julius Seebach, Managing Director of Audi Sport GmbH. “The most important message for our fans is that motorsport will continue to play an important role at Audi.”
Technology developed in competition, which has extreme conditions, will be used in the advancement of electrified production models like the Audi e-tron.
2022 Dakar Rally
The Dakar Rally began in 1997 as a rally-raid event from Paris to Dakar, on the west coast of Africa. Traditionally held at the start of the new year, it came to be the most gruelling off-road event. It ran the same route up till 2007 and then security concerns forced the organisers to find a new and equally challenging route, which was in South America.
So from 2009 (the event had to be cancelled in 2008 when terrorist threats were too serious), it was held on the western side of South America in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile and Peru. The name was retained as it had become legendary.
Mitsubishi Motors, with the Pajero, has had the most number of wins (12) in the Dakar Rally.
A MINI in the 2020 Dakar Rally, held for the first time in Saudi Arabia.
However, the teams have been uncomfortable with the logistical complexities and high cost of travelling to South America, while the host countries have been less willing to pay the organisers the extremely high fees for the event. This has led to the event moving to Saudi Arabia for 2020 as the Kingdom has been willing to sign a multi-year contract. The shorter distance from Europe is also more acceptable to the teams. So it is likely that when Audi returns in 2022, it will be competing in the desert sands of Saudi Arabia.
