Dacia relaunches rally-raid challenge: Sandrider debuts for a 2026 with high ambitions.
In 2026, the Sandriders team is strengthened with the entry of Lucas Moraes and Dennis Zenz, making it a candidate for the W2RC
by Danilo Loda
Pushing the envelope in the pursuit of the essential: this is the philosophy that guides Dacia even in the most extreme competitions. This is why the Franco-Romanian manufacturer participates in the Dakar and FIA World Rally-Raid Championships, considered the toughest outdoor testing grounds in the world.
The new star of this adventure is Sandrider, the completely new vehicle designed to tackle rally-raids with a radical approach to performance.
The model was inspired by the Manifesto concept car, unveiled in 2022 as the brand's ideas laboratory. Developed thanks to the Renault Group's sporting expertise and Prodrive's experience, Sandrider is built around a cardinal principle: eliminate everything superfluous and aim directly for victory.
Designed to exploit every opportunity offered by the regulations of the Ultimate T1+ category, the prototype focuses on lightness, agility and maximum efficiency. Drivers and co-drivers played a central role in the development: through immersive virtual reality sessions, they helped to define the ergonomic, technical and functional aspects of the vehicle from the earliest design stages. The result is a vehicle that responds surgically to the requirements of modern rally-racing.
An increasingly competitive team: Moraes and Zenz arrive
The Dacia Sandriders' adventure in the World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC) now becomes even more ambitious. For the new season, Brazilian Lucas Moraes and German co-driver Dennis Zenz will join the team, a high-profile pair that has already demonstrated speed, consistency and remarkable strategic skills.
