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Gintas Petrus, who is preparing for the start of his sixth Dakar Rally, will be the first Lithuanian to decide to overcome the Dakar challenge with a two-wheel-drive car. After driving a Toyota Hilux Overdrive OTB in Dakar last year and finishing 42nd, the motorsports enthusiast has been thinking about getting behind the wheel for a long time. sipping splashes of champagne from the Africa Eco Race.
In which Dakar will the buggy start?
In the Dakar Rally, the buggies compete in the general classification with cars, but there are no technical differences. The buggy only works with two rear wheels. In addition, it is about half a ton lighter than the usual 4×4 SUVs for Lithuanians. At the heart of the Optimus EVO 3 is the 6.2-liter Chevrolet V8 engine, which is also available in Corvette cars. Another uniqueness of the buggy is the ability to adjust the pressure on the rear wheels while driving.
VIDEO: Gintas Petrus presented a new Dakar car: a buggy with a V8 engine
“The first impressions after the tests are very good. The Donerre suspension works very well, the car is comfortable. High speeds can be reached on rough roads. I think it will be of great help to us in the next Dakar. Really nice to drive. Very good feeling. Maybe we need to make more friends, gain more experience, but the first impressions are very good ”, – G.Petrus was happy.
The car, built in 2015, already has a rich racing biography: the car was driven in 2020 in Dakar by the main car competitor, Frenchman Jean Pierre Strugo. The 74-year-old won the 2019 Africa Eco Race on the shelves while driving this buggy, and on the last Dakar, despite serious engine problems, he finished 39th overall.
“JPStrug’s enviable longevity in the Dakar race fascinates me and is an example to follow. Jean Pierre has already raced on the 27 Dakar, ranking seventh in the general classification. And it doesn’t stop yet! I think that following the example of Jean Pierre, I will be able to participate in another 20 Dakar ”, smiles G. Petrus.
Frenchman Jerome Pelichet was the most successful in the last Dakar with the Optimus MD, ranking 11th in the final car classification. 2021 Benediktas Vanagas, the Lithuanian with the highest position, will start in Dakar between two Optimus MD buggies. Pelichet will start the fight from 19th place, and another Frenchman, Dominique Housieaux, received a start number 321. Vanagas will start 20th with a new generation Toyota Hilux Overdrive. In total, six Optimus EVO 3 buggies will test the Saudi Arabian sand at the next Dakar. Five of them will win under the banner of the MD Rallye Sport team, and the sixth will be driven by G. Petrus. By the way, the makers of Optimus MD promised to provide technical assistance to the Lithuanians during the Dakar.
MD Rallye Sport, which produces these bags, is a small family business. Its founder is the French motorsport veteran Antoine Morel, who won the Dakar in 2005 with an ATV. The first Optimus MD buggies were created in 2010. Now Moror’s sons work together in the company. The Optimus EVO 4 is currently under development, but production has not yet started, so G. Petrus will drive the latest Optimus MD configuration.
Recently, rear-wheel drive buggies are looking really solid in the legendary off-road rally marathon. Last year’s Dakar champion Carlos Sainz was driving a rear-wheel drive MINI John Cooper Works Buggy. An analogous buggy helped win bronze and Mr. Dakar calls him Stephane Peterhansel.
The new car isn’t the only novelty in Dakar veteran G. Petra’s camp. In January 2021, Povilas Valaitis will take command of the Petrus Kombucha Team, replacing Tomas Jančis, who was driving in Dakar last year. P.Valaitis will be making his Dakar debut, but he knows G.Petraus’ co-driver duties well. The men’s tandem won two Africa Eco Race rally marathons together, once in the Turkmen Desert Race.
“Povilas is a team man. We see the Dakar as a great challenge and adventure. We look at it with a smile and good humor. We are a kind of partisans of the Dakar. We will try not to fight in seconds, but in the desert and in hardships The most important objective is to feel the true spirit of the Dakar, “said G. Petrus to the team’s vision.
Another important change is updating the team name and logo. From now on, the team is called “Petrus Kombucha Team”, this is how G.Petrus introduces a new product in the soft drink market. Kombuča is a naturally fermented non-alcoholic drink with good bacteria. Abroad, this drink has already won the sympathy of many, now the founder of Petrus Kombucha Team is seriously determined to popularize it also in Lithuania. The new drink will travel to Saudi Arabia with the team.
On Monday night, see a detailed report on the bug tests on the portal 15 minutes and Facebook 15 minutes in your GAZAS account.
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