 | Home > Off Topic > Toyota "can't compete" against Mini |
 
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| Supacat Member Since: 16 Oct 2012 Location: West Yorkshire Posts: 11018   
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LOL
 Click image to enlarge "Toyota claims its Hilux 4x4 "can't compete" with the X-raid-built Mini John Cooper Works Buggy on the Dakar Rally and that a rule change is needed to level the playing field between the two cars. At the halfway point of the first-ever Saudi Arabia-based edition of the legendary rally-raid, X-raid Mini driver Carlos Sainz Sr enjoys a seven-minute advantage over defending event winner Nasser Al-Attiyah's Toyota. X-raid's pair of Mini JCW Buggies, driven by Sainz and Stephane Peterhansel, have won the last four stages between them, while Toyota has taken only one victory so far with its quartet of factory-entered cars, which went to Giniel de Villiers on Stage 2. Toyota Gazoo Racing boss Glyn Hall told selected media, including Motorsport.com, that he considers it unfair that the FIA has kept the regulations frozen regarding air restrictors after analysing data from the past Dakar. Effective from summer 2018, the FIA reduced the air restrictor diameter for 4x4s with a petrol engine from 38mm to 37, while maintaining those of turbocharged diesel engines: 39mm for cars with a single turbo, like the Mini, and 38 for cars with two turbos, like the Peugeot. "I've been telling the FIA for a while: when Peugeot was there everything was quite balanced, but then in 2018 they reduced the air restrictor by 1mm," Hall said. "That means about 40 minutes at the end of the rally. It's frustrating to have to fight against this. "The drivers get out of the car and tell me that they can't compete against them [the Mini buggies] in terms of straight line speed, that they pass easily." X-raid Mini boss Sven Quandt brushed off any claims that his buggies enjoyed a significant advantage when speaking to Motorsport.com. "The problem with Glyn is that he is always crying," said Quandt. "He was crying last year when they were winning and now, when he is behind, he cries. [He does it] at the FIA meetings too. "He is not being realistic. We can see we are separated by a single minute after 470km; what is the problem? If we see the last days, we talk about two minutes, one minute, one-and-a-half... there is no problem with the air restrictors. We are super-balanced." Click image to enlarge On Friday, Fernando Alonso suggested that the Mini buggies "are in another league", while Toyota teammate Al-Attiyah made it clear that he believes the buggy is "too fast". "We don't need more power, but there is a big difference between the 4x4 and the two-wheel drive cars," added the Qatari. "Today everyone was passing by, I could not keep up. "I am sure that next year there will be a change in the regulations because some other manufacturers will come with a 4x4 to the Dakar and that will help a lot." For his part, rally leader Sainz was restrained when asked what he thought about the complaints of Al-Attiyah and the Toyota camp. "When they won in Morocco with 15 or 20 minutes of advantage nobody protested," he said. "They also won the Dakar last year and here they are six or seven minutes [behind]. "I think it is quite equal. We have worked, we have improved the car during this last year and we have been able to show it." https://www.motorsport.com/dakar/news/toyo...h/4650283/ |
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11th Jan 2020 5:44pm |
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| diesel_jim Member Since: 13 Oct 2008 Location: hiding Posts: 6092 
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I'd rather have a HiLux Active DC or AC35 than a mini for laning!
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11th Jan 2020 9:01pm |
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| Rashers Member Since: 21 Jun 2015 Location: Norfolk Posts: 3488 
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I don't suppose either the Mini or the Toyota share any similarities, other than the name badge, to the road going vehicles
Good old Eurosport seem to be doing coverage again - bless them. Haven't seen a jot on the BBC Sport website. I like the trucks and much respect to the bikes and quads. Must be hard enough to do in a car or truck but the bikes and quads, those people are a different breed  |
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11th Jan 2020 9:18pm |
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| 90 Dreamer Member Since: 13 Jul 2019 Location: Oop North Posts: 2144 
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They are and then you get the "Malle moto" nutters that do it on bikes with NO support............
Hero's |
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11th Jan 2020 9:19pm |
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| DSC-off Member Since: 16 Oct 2014 Location: North East Posts: 1400 
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The Dakar, I wasn't even sure it was still running.
It's years since the route was moved and almost everyone lost interest. In Motorsport there's always someone complaining, once another team spots a loophole and takes advantage. If you can't stand the heat, as the saying goes. Or stick to the production car classes. No one really thinks a buggy is anything like a showroom car you can actually buy. At the height of the event (late 80s/early 90s) the "support" trucks were amazing, keeping up with the field, almost embarrassing the cars at times. Good old days!  |
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11th Jan 2020 9:31pm |
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| 90 Dreamer Member Since: 13 Jul 2019 Location: Oop North Posts: 2144
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It moved across to South America some years back and then new for this year its in Saudi.........
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11th Jan 2020 9:40pm |
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| markb110 Member Since: 22 May 2010 Location: Guildford Posts: 2627  
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The crazy supporters from South America are certainly missed from the coverage I have seen so far.
The location shots are pretty but to remove the supporters i am not sure is a good move especially as the TV coverage is so limited. Reminds me of when the UCI road race first took place in the Middle East, no supporters and certainly no women on the course. PS, Santa, if I am good this year (stop laughing) can I have a Kamaz truck please |
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11th Jan 2020 10:53pm |
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| gazman Member Since: 17 Aug 2015 Location: Liverpool Posts: 652 
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I know it's not good for motorsport having one team dominate, but I hate Toyota hilux's and love seeing the buggys
 all over em.
I drive a 2017 one in work and it's a unreliable bag of and a wretched horrible thing as was the nissan nivara it replaced.
Genuinely I have no idea where the Japanese reliability myth came from, guess it was owners of them trying to big them up. I'm not saying my defender is more reliable, just the jap stuff is equally as bad. 2014 - current ..... 2003 defender td5 90 (my car) 2009 - current .... 2005 zx10r |
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12th Jan 2020 6:29am |
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| 22900013A Member Since: 23 Dec 2010 Location: Oxfordshire Posts: 3149 
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I had a near new Hilux at work a couple of years ago, lovely to drive and very comfortable, but awful for reliability. Kept getting jammed in 4wd and low range, the windscreen wipers literally fell apart, and that's on a year-end vehicle! It was good off road though even on road biased tyrea, but absolutely devoid of character. Had it not had stupid niggles you could see why you might want one for over landing though. 2011 110 USW
1973 Series III 1-Ton 1972 Series III 1-Ton Cherrypicker 1969 IIA 1-Ton 1966 IIA 88" |
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12th Jan 2020 7:25am |
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| Supacat Member Since: 16 Oct 2012 Location: West Yorkshire Posts: 11018
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Have they been rebranded as "Originals" now? |
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12th Jan 2020 11:48am |
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| hank Member Since: 12 Sep 2016 Location: South Wales Posts: 2296  
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I'm currently based in Riyadh so went to spectate Stage 6. I didn't realise how far away the spectator zone was from my accommodation so unfortunately missed the bikes, quads and 'cars' and only caught the trucks. Great afternoon out none the less.
Click image to enlarge Click image to enlarge Click image to enlarge > 110 XS Double Cab |
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12th Jan 2020 12:58pm |
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| Huttopia Member Since: 23 Feb 2016 Location: West Midlands Posts: 1972
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How much time have these events got left before they are dropped by sponsors or switched to electric? Bit of a carbon footprint headache to massage away via PR or adapt and overcome.
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12th Jan 2020 1:18pm |
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| Bluest Member Since: 23 Apr 2016 Location: Lancashire Posts: 4206 
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I love rally raid. These types of events seem to be going strong. There is the Africa Eco Race which gets telly coverage too and you got the Morocco Desert Challenge as well.They are all largely amateur events so I’d imagine the entry fees cover the bulk of the cost with not much reliance on sponsorship for the organisers.
Battery vehicles don’t yet have anything like the endurance for this type of sport yet. There is an electric rally raid series of races coming from the inventors of Formula E with a strong eco element to it, but I’d be surprised if they are much more than sprint races at least for the first few years. 2007 110 TDCi Station Wagon XS |
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12th Jan 2020 1:52pm |
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| Supacat Member Since: 16 Oct 2012 Location: West Yorkshire Posts: 11018
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It's already been done:
"The 100% EcoPowered has become the only zero-emissions vehicle ever to complete the Dakar Rally, overcoming the hardest-ever version of the race yet to take place in South America. It has also become the first electric vehicle to twice complete another FIA world championship race, the Morocco Rally in 2015 and 2016." " The story of ACCIONA 100% EcoPowered is one of reaching milestone after milestone, encapsulating what ACCIONA is all about. The Company was a pioneer in manufacturing the first zero-emissions vehicle to compete in the 2015 Dakar Rally, powered 100% by clean energy: that is electric batteries. Second time around, the car made a further leap forward in completing 10 out of the 13 stages that make up the rally and becoming the fifth most media-followed vehicle in the race. In its third Dakar, the toughest version of the rally yet to be held in South America, the ACCIONA car came full circle, becoming the first electric vehicle ever to complete from start to finish the most demanding test of a motor car on the planet." https://www.acciona.com/about-acciona/spon...red-dakar/ I believe there's other electric vehicles running in this year's event, although maybe just for single stages. |
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12th Jan 2020 3:05pm |
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