Kwikpower Mercedes-Benz Team Enters The Dakar Rally

Posted by eMercedesBenz.com on December 22, 2005 

In the world of desert rallies, few races can compare to the prestige  
the Dakar Rally offers its contestants.  The 16 day, 5,500 mile  
course is one of the most difficult races in the world.

This year, the Dakar Rally will showcase a new team entry into the  
event - the "Kwikpower Mercedes-Benz Team.  Leading the way for  
Kwikpower is former DTM driver Ellen Lohr, accompanied by Bavarian co- 
pilot Detlef Ruf.  The two will pilot a custom prototype based on the  
ML, dubbed the ML 350 Evo II, built by German-based ORC Sportservice.

According to Lohr, "For us as a new team, it's the goal to make it to  
the finish in our maiden Dakar Rally appearance and to gain a lot of  
experience.  To achieve this goal, we have created professional  
preconditions, particularly thanks to the major Mercedes-Benz support  
in the service area. But it's not for nothing that the Dakar is  
called the toughest rally of the world – usually, less than 50  
percent of the field makes it to the finish."

As Lohr pointed out, a crucial element to completing the race is  
having the strength of your team behind you.  To help in the  
difficult journey, Mercedes has lent support by providing the team  
with a uniquely-equipped service fleet, custom designed for use in  
the harsh conditions.

To begin with, there's the Mercedes U 400 Unimog, converted into a  
desert-ready racing truck.  A few custom modifications include racing  
suspension, roll-cage, bucket seats, and safety harnesses.  The  
purpose of the Unimog along with its three passenger crew is to be on  
site as fast as possible, should the ML suffer any problems during  
one of the rallies' 15 stages.

In addition to the Unimog, a Mercedes Actros 3354 6x6 along with ORC  
team designer Andreas Lennartz and two mechanics will act as a  
rolling spare-parts depot, located at the official service spots  
between the stages.

Next in the team's fleet is a Mercedes Viano 4MATIC, which carries  
team principal Hans-Erwin Baur and team member/physiotherapist Balbir  
Singh; and finally, bringing up the rear, another M-Class.

Although this marks the first year for the Kwikpower Mercedes-Benz  
team, this is actually Ellen Lohr's second year competing in the  
event.  Last year, the 40 year-old entered the event with an  
independent buggy, but she was forced to retire after day four, due  
to a technical failure.  According to Lohr, "At that time, I realised  
that a professional service team is particularly vital when it comes  
to marathon racing. It's just fantastic that we succeeded in getting  
Mercedes-Benz aboard, for this area."

To find out how the race will play out, stay tuned - the Dakar Rally  
starts on December 28th in Lisbon, Portugal, and wraps up on January  
15th in Dakar, Senegal. We'll keep you posted once the race begins.

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