Now, I’m not a big fan of K&N Filters but I am a big fan of the Audi Q7 and Dakar Rally. This Q7 is not racing in the Dakar but it is a support vehicle for Michel de Groot, biker, and his Vicking Race Team. The Q7 is a 3.0TDI.
Image: Alvaro Isidoro © All rights reserved
Audi Q7 Equipped with K&N Filters has Key Role at The 2007 Dakar Rally
In the past caravans crossed the desert out of necessity, at the 2007 Dakar Rally a different kind of caravan will cross the shifting sands of the Sahara desert, this time for bragging rights.
More than 500 teams from over 40 countries will participate in the toughest motor race in the world. The Dakar Rally covers 5000 miles and begins on January 6th in Portugal, goes through Spain, Morocco, Mauritania, Mali and ends on January 21st in Dakar, the capital of Senegal. The drivers and bikers must cross the Mediterranean Sea by boat.
On the other side of the Mediterranean the bikes, cars and trucks race next to the forests and villages of the African continent. The heart of the race is in the middle of the Sahara where temperatures average 130 degrees daily. The Dakar is full of extreme challenges with different stages everyday. Racers have to be great navigators and be on the lookout for the slightest traps.
The 29th annual event will host 187 cars, 88 trucks and 250 motorcycles. Michel de Groot, founder of Vicking Race Team is one of the bikers. His technical support truck is an Audi Q7 3.0TDI. De Groot’s team of four will receive what it needs along the route from this vehicle.
“The Q7 which they prepared is a brand new one, and no one thought anyone would use a car like this at The Dakar,” said K&N Engineering Project Development Technician Patrick Jacobs. “This key vehicle is equipped with K&N Filters for the grueling terrain.”
Typically car manufacturers use the rally to test the endurance of their new vehicles. There are more than 200 support vehicles in the caravan.
There is only one rest day in the 2007 race, on January 13, at Atar. The support crews will do everything possible that day to eliminate the problems caused by extreme sand. Out of all the entries only 40 percent of all the racers make it to the finish line. Speed limits of 95 mph will be in force this year for motorcyclists and down to 30 mph for all drivers as they go through villages.
The support vehicles will not be allowed on the leg of the race leading to Tichit and Timbuktu. For 1500 miles the only help available will be between competitors.
Every year people get lost or killed during the Dakar. A total of 46 deaths were recorded since the rally began in 1979. The route changes every year due to war and other political problems. Organizers are doing everything within their power to improve the security of competitors and the public along the course. The final standings will be established after the stage going from Tambacounda to Dakar.
Audi Q7 Equipped with K&N Filters
Technorati Tags: Audi, Q7, TDI, Dakar, Dakar Rally, Michel de Groot, Vicking Race Team
