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VW Race Touareg 2
Spiess-Power shines in rallying
Volkswagen made a fantastic start into the 2007 Dakar Rally. In the planet's most prestigious rally adventure, the VW Race Touareg prevailed in four of the first five stages and keeps on holding the first three positions. Spanish-French pairing Carlos Sainz/Michel Périn won the fifth stage, from Ourzazate to Tan Tan, Morocco, with a 30-second lead, thus even extending its lead in the overall standings. With five stages completed, Carlos Sainz and Michel Périn now hold a 3:36-minute lead.
Two fellow VW drivers follow on second and third positions behind the two-time World Rally Champion, thus adding to Volkswagen's dominance: Giniel de Villiers/Dirk von Zitzewitz and Carlos Sousa/Andreas Schulz. Altogether, the Dakar is contested by five Race Touaregs.
The Race Touareg's 2.5-litre power unit for the exhausting desert event was prepared by Ditzingen based company Spiess. For the first time, it was equipped with a four-valve cylinder head. Above all, the new design of the cylinder head makes for a better gas flow rate, thus improving the engine's performance and response behaviour at all the rpm ranges. At the same time, the power unit's torque was increased to more than 600Nm. "In spite of the engine's increased performance level, it even delivers better from a thermal point of view than it did in the past," underlines Donatus Wichelhaus who was responsible for designing the engine.
Volkswagen Motorsport Director Kris Nissen is extremely happy with the performance in the opening stages of the event: "Our divers and co-drivers did very well when it came to coping with the difficult test represented by the high Atlas Mountains. We even succeeded ion extending our lead. Yet, there still are another 4,000 kilometres to go. Therefore, we will remain fully focused and motivated."
