Prodrive Seeks Dakar Partner After Dacia's Withdrawal

Pulse Sports Team 16:56 - 22 July 2026

British motorsport company Prodrive is in discussions with as many as three car manufacturers to participate in the Dakar Rally in 2027, following the decision by Renault giant Dacia to withdraw from the World Rally-Raid Championship.

Shortly after winning the 48th edition of the Dakar with Nasser Al-Attiyah in January, Dacia announced that the brand would cease its involvement in cross-country racing at the end of the current season.

This announcement brought a premature end to a program that was planned to run for three years and came amidst broader changes in Renault's motorsport strategy.

After receiving several months' notice, British firm Prodrive, which has been running Dacia's factory program since its inception, is now seeking another manufacturer to take over the project.

"We are currently talking to two or three manufacturers about this," said Prodrive boss David Richards regarding the company's plans for 2027. "We are looking at a long-term plan right now. We are working with Jaguar Land Rover on the Defender program for the Dakar, so that will continue for many years. But we are also looking for a replacement for Dacia in the short and long term."

"We are not yet in a position to announce anything, but I hope that by the end of the summer we will be able to talk about what we will be doing at the next edition of the Dakar, and perhaps by the end of the year we will be able to announce the longer-term plan."

To prepare for Dacia's entry into the Dakar in 2025, Prodrive significantly reworked the Hunter model, which competed under the Bahrain Raid Xtreme flag, effectively creating an entirely new prototype.

Richards, however, explained that the existing Sandrider could be modified to meet a manufacturer's requirements, which would reduce preparation time for any new carmaker looking to enter the Dakar as early as next year.

"Since it's a formula nowadays, the car will be the same no matter who you build it for," he explained. "There might be some different technical aspects, but the bodywork will just be different, and that will be the change. So the car we are using now can be any manufacturer's car."