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 | New Volkswagen Race Touareg 3 passes tests in Morocco and Spain.
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The updated Volkswagen Race Touareg 3 has completed three weeks of testing in Spain and Morocco with success. The car handled the more than double Dakar-distance without any technical problems. On August 20th the "RT3" will be presented to the public for the first time in Trier (Germany). From 11 to 18 September it will make its competitive debut at the Silk Way Rally in Russia.
"The Race Touareg 3 tests were more than positive," says Motorsport Director Kris Nissen, who was on location to get a personal impression of the first kilometres of the updated vehicle.
"A direct comparison between the ‘RT2’ and the ‘RT3’ showed that the new car has made a step forwards in many areas. Its reliability was immediately impressive. Our plan had been to complete long runs of one and a half of the Dakar-distance - but in the end we covered more than twice the number of test kilometres thanks to the vehicle’s stability and the very good job done by the drivers and the team."
All four duos participated in the tests as driver/co-driver combinations: Carlos Sainz/Lucas Cruz (E/E), Nasser Al-Attiyah/Timo Gottschalk (Q/D), Giniel de Villiers/Dirk von Zitzewitz (ZA/D) and Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford (USA/ZA).
At the beginning of the extensive tests set-up runs in Spain were on the agenda. Then the team tested the Race Touareg 3 in direct comparison with its predecessor in the region around Mahmid, Morocco, before moving on to the Erfoud test centre for two weeks of long runs. The new aerodynamics of the Race Touareg 3, which improves air flow with more efficient flow directed towards the inter-cooling and water cooling systems, proved its viability. The new flow of cooling air was thoroughly tested around Mahmid where temperatures reach 48 °C in the shade.
The long runs around Erfoud were focused on testing in conditions resembling the Dakar as closely as possible. A 370-kilometre loop that was covered twice per day included dunes with vegetation and a large share of off-road tracks with river bed crossings. Sections with hard soil were on the agenda as well as soft sand passages. In total, the Race Touareg 3 completed almost 10,000 kilometres of simulated special stages.
2010/08/11 | 18:30 CET | Editor: MR/HS/MOSER
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