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 | Pharaons Rally: Dessoude happy with performance - Juke in the big leagues.
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In less than a year, since the last South America Dakar, the Dessoude Nissan Juke Buggy made an undeniable step forward, both in terms of technology and reliability. Each event in which he took part helped to develop its own qualities and turned it into a reliable, powerful, and efficient Buggy.
For André Dessoude, manager of this shift, in collaboration with Jean-Marc Schmit for the engine, the Juke suggests good prospects.
"Last Pharaons rally proved that, even with very different drivers, the Juke always manages to play its part. My first satisfaction concerns the reliability of the vehicle. On this difficult rally where the terrain is very demanding and mainly composed of sand, we did not have any mechanical problem" the French said.
"Despite the high temperatures, no overheating was reported. Transmissions, gearbox and suspensions reacted perfectly, and we did not have to change anything. All the datas of the previous tests allowed to evolve in the right direction by adapting the vehicle for hard track conditions. The balance of the engine-chassis package has never been destabilized."
"The other satisfaction concerns the performance. This is an interesting point, considering that the car was driven in Egypt by a less experienced driver. Facing very experienced crews, we can enjoy some very good split times on special stages, placing us around the 3rd or 4th positions."
"After the "Silk Way Rally" in Russia, we made changes to the bodywork to improve dunes crossing, sometimes hinder by a too low and too prominent bodywork. With twenty centimeters less on the front and a design more wrapped, crossing dunes is no longer a problem and we are exploring the possibility to use a bigger tire size. Egypt, with daily stages in the dunes, has validated this point."
For André Dessoude, next term will be of course, the Dakar race. An event terribly demanding where the Buggy Juke could keep a card up its sleeve.
"This total changing, since last Dakar, is the sum of a lot of work in all areas. It is also the result of an effective collaboration between the technical team, the drivers and with Jean-Marc Schmit for the engine. For next Dakar we feel confident."
"When returning from Egypt, the Juke will make a stop in an altitude spot for a new test session. The altitude is a key factor in South America and we want to be prepared for not having to deal with any problem linked to it."
"The Juke Buggy has a diesel engine and the altitude is more favorable than for a petrol engine. It will therefore carry less fuel and with a relatively low weight, its efficiency should be increased. A two wheel-drive diesel car of 1200 kg with an experienced driver, in terms of competitiveness, we could have a role to play... "
Team Dessoude is now preparing the "race of the year" in South America. From 5th to 20th of January, from Peru to Chile through Argentina, 2013 Dakar will once again be the supreme test bench for vehicles entered.
2012/10/09 | 20:21 CET | ARTICLE: MR/HS/DELAHAYE
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