Prodrive has revealed the upgraded Hunter rally-raid car for the upcoming 2022 Dakar Rally, in line with new regulations to balance the performance of four- and two-wheel-drive cars. The T1+ will be run by the Bahrain Raid Extreme (BRX) team.
- Upgraded suspension, modified propshaft and differentials
- 37-inch tyres
- First run in September 2021
Prodrive Hunter T1+: mechanical upgrades for Dakar 2022
The UK-built Hunter T1+ will now run on larger, 37-inch tyres with 17-inch rims, replacing its previously used 32-inch items. The T1+ now also has uprated suspension, raised from 280mm to 350mm, and a wider, 2.3m body.
In addition, the T1+ has gained longer wishbones and dampers, larger brakes and modified driveshafts, propshaft and differentials. BRX says almost half of the vehicle’s bodywork has been redesigned to suit the new regulations.
“We are very pleased the organisers have addressed the disparity in regulations between the buggies and the four-wheel-drive T1 cars, where larger tyres had an advantage over rough terrain,” said Gus Beteli, BRX team principal.
“We’ve learnt a huge amount on our debut this year and have put all this learning into improving the car and believe our new Hunter T1+ is a significant step forward. We are looking forward to returning to Saudi in January, where we will be looking to challenge for victory.”
The previous-generation T1 competed for the final time last week at the Baja Aragon, where it set the fastest time on eight out of 11 of the rally’s sectors.
The T1+ is manufactured at Prodrive’s headquarters in Banbury, Oxfordshire and will run for the first time in September.
2022 Dakar Rally
The 2022 Dakar rally will be run between January 2 and 14, with the iconic endurance event taking place entirely in Saudi Arabia for a third year running. Event organisers say that the route is 80 percent new, as compared to the past two iterations, and will see participants venture into the ‘Empty Quarter – a desert nearly the size of France, extending over the entire south-eastern region of the country. Read more about it here.
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