Ice racers get 4wd, 4ws, mid-mounted engine
French F1 legend Alain Prost will take to the wheel of a Dacia (yes, you read that right) for the 2009/2010 Andros Trophy ice racing series in the French Alps.
The four-time F1 champ will campaign the new Dacia Duster SUV in the silhouette formula of the famous ice racing championship, having competed since 2003 - and winning the past two seasons - using Toyotas.
Although the Duster ice racer previews next year's budget SUV (think Suzuki Vitara from Romania), the car has been developed by parent company Renault's motorsport arm, Renaultsport.
Power comes from a 350bhp, 3.0-litre, mid-mounted Nissan V6. This is coupled to a sequential six-speed box that drives all four wheels. The steering is also of the four-wheeled variety.
It's probably fair to say that Prost's Dacia will be a little more exciting than the road-going version (have a look at the full spec sheet below an you'll agree). The season starts on 5 December in Val Thorens.
DACIA DUSTER COMPETITION CAR - TECHNICAL DATA
CHASSIS
Tubular steel chassis
Double wishbone suspension, front and rear
ENGINE
Renault-Nissan Alliance VQ 30
Position: mid-engined
Six cylinders (V6)
Number of valves: 24
Cubic capacity: 2,987cc
Bore x stroke: 93mm x 73.3mm
Maximum power: 350hp at 7,500rpm
Maximum torque: 360Nm at 5,500rpm
TRANSMISSION
Six-speed SADEV sequential gearbox
BRAKES
Front: 260mm-diameter ventilated steel discs
Rear: 265mm-diameter steel discs
WHEELS
5.5" x 16" (magnesium)
Tyres: Continental Racing Contact 3
DIMENSIONS / WEIGHT
Length: 4,001mm
Width: 1,900mm
Front/rear track: 1,690mm
![](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 4 3"%3E%3C/svg%3E)
![](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 1 1"%3E%3C/svg%3E)