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Dacia Duster racer revealed

Dacia has released images of its race-ready Pikes Peak challenger, based on the Duster.

The Dacia Duster will tackle the tough Pikes Peak hillclimb on 26 June and the Romanian firm has released the first official pictures of the finished car ahead of the challenge.

Driven by three times Andros Trophy champion Jean-Philippe Dayraut, the Duster has an 850hp 3.5-litre V6 engine. This is mid-mounted and drives all four wheels through a sequential gearbox.

Developed in conjunction with Renault Sport Technologies (the brains behind the Renaultsport road cars), the Duster will run in the 'unlimited' class at Pikes Peak, Colorado. This means there are no regulations governing the weight, tyres, transmission or aerodynamics.

For this reason, the Dacia's body is about the only thing that resembles the original Duster. A huge rear wing is essential to keep the car stable during the hillclimb ascent, which switches from tarmac to gravel surfaces during its near 5,000-foot scrabble up the mountain.

Dacia has stated it is going for an all-out win with the Duster at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb this year.

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Published on May 27, 2011