Loeb Plots Desert Challenge Raid in Record-Breaking Hunter

The return of the World Rally-Raid Championship to the UAE later this month has all the ingredients of another motorsport classic, with much attention inevitably focusing on the car, which has made a record-breaking start to the year.

Sebastien Loeb’s six successive stage victories in the recent Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia at the wheel of a Prodrive Hunter eclipsed the event’s 34-year-old record set by another of the sport’s legendary stars, Ari Vatanen.

Prodrive Hunters won nine of the 14 stages in the opening W2RC round, and Loeb’s display gave him. Bahrain Raid Xtreme, the championship lead to round two, the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, from 26 February to 3 March.

Little wonder the nine-time World Rally Champion can’t wait to get back in action in the UAE, where a street-legal version of the Prodrive Hunter is now available to drive on the road and in the desert.

The rally feedback from Loeb and his BRX co-driver Fabian Lurquin helped Prodrive develop the new road-going Hunter, the world’s first all-terrain hypercar. A limited number are being built in the UK to the individual specifications of select supercar enthusiasts.

“Of course, our job is to try and win rallies, and after the results in Dakar, we’re excited about the championship and look forward to the Desert Challenge, which is another great test for us, the team, and the car,” said Loeb.

“I’m also hoping to drive the road version of the Hunter for the first time and see how Prodrive have built a vehicle, based on rally car pedigree, for everyday use.”

The Hunter is a 600 bhp, four-wheel drive car with 50% more power than the rally-bred version, which has made BRX the team to beat in the Desert Challenge and the rest of the W2RC series.

 “There are four rounds left, and so much can happen in the championship over the next few months, so we aim to use the experience we gained from the Dakar to try and win the Desert Challenge and extend our lead,” said Loeb.

If he can find enough time in the UAE to test the Hunter hypercar, he won’t need to slow down in the desert. The vehicle accelerates from 0-100 kph in less than four seconds and has a top speed of around 250 kph, and it also has a comfortable cruising speed for drives downtown.

UP IN NEWS

• Hyundai Achieves Podium Finish at Daytona
• NIRA Dynamics Announces Strategic Collaboration With Zeekr to Develop Next-Generation Safety Products
• Hyundai Motor America Reports Record-Breaking January 2023 Sales
• Driving Test Backlog – Learners Waiting Up to Six Months
• Hyundai 2023 IONIQ 6 SE Long Range RWD Achieves EPA-Estimated Driving Range of 361 Miles

---

For all the latest automotive news, reports, and reviews, follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, subscribe to our YouTube page, and follow us on Instagram, which is updated daily.

---