perkonis

I intended to follow the Dakar closely this year. Really, I did. But I got busy and only got to read the odd report here and there on Autosport. I was interested to see how Team Fiat PanDAKAR was going to perform in their pair of Fiat Pandas. Based on the number of referrals this blog gets from Google searches about the team, it seems I wasn’t alone.

Unfortunately, trying to find anything about their progress was difficult at best (as I’m sure anyone looking for real information but wound up here can attest). I had seen reports that both cars were out on stage four as well as reports that one (or even both) cars had finished stage four several hours late but were, indeed, starting stage five. The press that surrounded the launch of the car had all but vanished. I don’t know if they lost interest or if Fiat quit pushing press releases, but information was hard to come by. And don’t even get me started on the official Dakar website.

I finally found the official Fiat press release here. Unfortunately the rumors of their demise were correct with Biasion retiring on stage four after getting stuck in the sand and Saby being two hours late to the start of stage five and thus, disqualified. I think this picture shows just what a challenge this team faced.

I don’t know if Fiat plans to try this again next year. I hope they do and I hope to find better coverage in 08.

That’s what Miki Biasion is hoping to find out. Team Fiat PanDAKAR has entered a pair of modified Fiat Panda 4×4 Cross in this year’s Dakar. The little car that could is powered by a 1.3 liter Multijet turbodiesel producing all of 105 bhp. What it lacks in power though, it makes up in weight (3100 lbs), maneuverability, and, with 42 gallons of diesel on board, range.

Somehow the team has found room for all the safety equipment, three spare tires, two shovels, the aluminum ramps they will need when they get stuck (and everyone gets stuck somewhere in the Dakar) and the required ten liters of potable water. The diminutive PanDAKAR should be able to hold it’s own in the early stages where the course it tight and slow going, but once they reach the wide open stages later in Senegal, that 105 bhp is going to hurt.

This should prove to be an interesting rate for Biasion and Gruppo Fiat. I’ll be following their progress to see how a Panda fairs outside its native habitat.