The PEUGEOT 2008 DKR clocks up testing kilometersin France

Peugeot’s DKR team is getting ready to rumble

Paris, France:The PEUGEOT 2008 DKR clocks up testing kilometersin France as the countdown to the 2015 Dakar Rally begins to accelerate, the Peugeot-
Total squad is continuing to develop the fearsome PEUGEOT 2008 DKR at afrenetic pace with its three star drivers, including Cyril Despres, who is gettingto grips with competing on four wheels for the first time.

From 7am, Team Peugeot-Total is in action. Like a commando unit on a mission,the mechanics invade the test center at Château Lastours, where the PEUGEOT
2008 DKR is about to begin a new phase of its development - generatingimpatience and anticipation in equal measure. Every single minute counts. For thefirst time, the three crews that constitute Peugeot’s dream team will all take turnsbehind the wheel. Following shakedown tests at Freneuse, Montlhéry and Creusotelsewhere in France, the beast now has the opportunity to demonstrate its mettleacross rocky terrain that offers a foretaste of the kind of adventure that awaits it inSouth America. Now that Carlos Sainz has drawn upon his experience to identifythe inevitable initial teething troubles, his two new team-mates have also comealong to help out. On the program is validation of the modifications made to thechassis and cooling system.

StéphanePeterhansel settles into the high-perched cockpit of his new mount. The
French multiple Dakar winner wastes little time in heading towards this track,which represents a real challenge - even for a vehicle that aspires to the life of atrailblazer. As the kilometers pass by, Stéphane confesses to experiencing agenuine culture shock: “Switching over to two-wheel-drive changes everything!” hecheerfully reflects.

Subsequent runs only serve to confirm this first impression: “I’ve never previouslydriven a car with so much suspension travel. The first big surprise is the manner inwhich the PEUGEOT 2008 DKR soaks up potholes and compressions. I’ve alwaysbeen accustomed to getting thrown around like a rag doll inside the cockpit, but thebehavior of the PEUGEOT 2008 DKR is infinitely more efficient and smooth.

Whenever you fear an impending impact, the suspension and large-diameterwheels absorb it. That is a reassuring feeling, which allows you to pass overpotholes at 120kph or 130kph rather than just 80kph. I’ll need to adapt my drivingstyle accordingly…” All the more so, indeed, as this beast is truly alive! “Being two wheel-drive, the PEUGEOT 2008 DKR is a bit livelier and as such, demands a defterand more precise touch behind the wheel since it is not quite as easy to control. Youreally need to always be at the point of sliding. Apart from that, the engine andgearbox both feel good, and while we are still inevitably a long way from findingthe ideal set-up, initial impressions are excellent - there is plenty of potential here.”

So what awaits Cyril Despres? The former motorcyclist - a five timeDakar winner on two wheels - is embarking upon a newcareer on four wheels. As the clock ticks down towards his leapinto the unknown, he is oscillating between impatience and a hintof anxiety that he is doing his best to conceal.

Following asighting run in the passenger seat alongside Peter Hansel toestablish his bearings, the moment comes to take to the wheel himself for the firsttime: with his eyes full of wonder and grinning from cheek-to-cheek, he is like a kidat Christmas. Under the watchful gaze of team members - who are well aware thatthey are witnessing history being made - he fires up the engine and sets off indetermined mood for his maiden test outing. After completing several dozenkilometers, he returns to base, with tears of emotion intermingling with beads ofsweat. “That was crazy!” he exclaims, visibly awestruck by the experience. “In everypossible area, it’s far better than I had ever imagined it would be! And what’s more,
I’m still a long way from pushing flat-out and exploring its full potential...”

He does admit to the engineers, however, to having made a small mistake: “At onestage, I briefly relaxed my concentration. I missed a down shift and must have over revvedthe engine slightly...” Gilles Picard, two times a Dakar winner alongside Luc
Alphand and a former motorcyclist himself, is nonetheless very satisfied with thefour-wheeled debut of his new driver: “He’s impressed me, this kid. He has a veryneat driving style!”

Not far away, Carlos Sainz is already in the process of settling himself into thePEUGEOT 2008 DKR’s snug cockpit. He was on-site for Cyril’s debut and watchedover him with the nurturing and encouraging manner of an older brother: “I amconvinced that he will do a good job, and to that end, I am ready to help him whereneeded. Stéphane and others have demonstrated that motorcyclists possess thenecessary mind-set to also perform well in cars, and I know that Cyril is aformidable competitor.” The programme drawn up by the team’s engineers filledthe summer months and did not really allow the three crews to take any longholidays. The test sessions will continue to come thick and fast right up until theeagerly-anticipated expedition to South America.