Peugeot is remaining cautious about the chances of its Peugeot 2008 DKR in the 2015 Dakar after revealing the cars in their race livery.

PEUGEOT HAS REVEALED its 2015 Dakar competitor, the Peugeot 2008 DKR, wearing full race livery ahead of the January 4 kick-off of world’s toughest and longest cross-country rally. Until now, the 2008 DKR has only been seen in its naked carbon-fibre finish.

Taking inspiration from other Red Bull-liveried racers, Stéphane Peterhansel noted the practical side of the design for him and his co-driver,“The fact that the part around the cockpit has been finished in white is an excellent way to protect us from the heat. I’ve competed in a car with a black roof and I can tell you that it makes a big difference.”

Peugeot says its spent the last few months in Morocco testing the new 2008 DKR ahead of its competitive debut. “The results of our test programme show that our technical concept is well founded,” notes Peugeot Sport Director Bruno Famin.

“That said, this car is at a very early stage of its development, so it is important to remain cautious. Although we have big ambitions for this adventure, we are still tackling it with a great deal of humility. By deciding to kick off our cross-country rally programme with the toughest event imaginable, we will no doubt come across unforeseen obstacles and problems. It is consequently important to take things one step at a time. For our first attempt, our main objective is to get as many cars as possible as far as we possibly can.”

Driver Carlos Sainz, said: “The team has come up with a unique, innovative car which promises to be extremely versatile for the different types of terrain we are likely to come across. The concept works well. The test programme has shown that it is a very fast machine, although it is obviously difficult to be 100% sure of its reliability at this early stage.”

With just over a month left before the start of 2015 Dakar, the countdown has begun and in the next few days the service trucks, loaded with spares, will be sent by ship to Argentina for the start of the race. Work will now begin on the three 2008 DKR rally cars which will get one final test in Morocco before Dakar and then air-freighted to Argentina.