ZF Sachs partners target next “Dakar” victory

Schweinfurt, 2 January 2009 – History will be written at the Dakar Rally on 18 January 2009 – and ZF, ZF Sachs and also ZF Sachs Race Engineering are represented as title holders at the top of the field. For the first time ever the cross country rallying classic, which has been held since 1979, starts in South America and for the first time the probability is extremely high that a competitor in the automobile class will win with diesel power. The German technology company supplies many leading teams in the car and truck categories with state-of-the-art transmission and suspension technology.

Repeat of the Volkswagen Mitsubishi fight in the car category

Eight of the 13 rally cars in the leading group, which will fight for overall victory with diesel power, are equipped with ZF Sachs Race Engineering technology: The four Volkswagen Race Touareg 2 prototypes and the four Mitsubishi Racing Lancers rely on various components supplied by the German technology company. As Volkswagen partner ZF Sachs was involved in two victories in cross country rallying during the 2008 season – the Dakar Series opener the Central European Rally and also the Rally dos Sertões in Brazil. The Race Touareg 2 is fitted with a clutch and dampers from ZF Sachs Race Engineering. The factory squad includes Carlos Sainz/Michel Périn (E/F), Giniel de Villiers/Dirk von Zitzewitz (ZA/D), Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford (USA/ZA) and Dieter Depping/Timo Gottschalk (D/D).

Mitsubishi starts with a new development: Equipped with a ZF Sachs Race Engineering clutch the Racing Lancer contests the Dakar Rally for the first time. The Japanese manufacturer now also backs diesel power. The four cars are driven by the same squad that the manufacturer has trusted since 2005: Stéphane Peterhansel/Jean-Paul Cottret (F/F), Luc Alphand/Gilles Picard (F/F), Joan Roma/Lucas Cruz (E/E) and Hiroshi Masuoka/Pascal Maimon (J/F). Mitsubishi is unbeaten in the Dakar Rally since 2001.

High-calibre racing in the truck category

Just as exciting as the battles that rage in the car class are those in the truck category in which the best teams also rely on products originating from the ZF concern. With Hans Stacey/Charly Gottlib/Bernard der Kinderen (NL/B/NL) in the cockpit MAN broke the five year dominance of Russian manufacturer Kamaz during the most recent Dakar Rally in 2007. The Belgium-Dutch trio competes again in a MAN TGS 18.480 and, in doing so, squares up against three Kamaz trucks. There are driven by Vladimir Chagin/Sergey Savostin/Eduard Nikolaev (RUS/RUS/RUS), Firdaus Kabirov/Aydar Belyaev/Andrey Mokeev (RUS/RUS/RUS) and Ilgizar Mardeev/Viatcheslav Mizyukaev/Ayrat Mardeev (RUS/RUS/RUS). Many other competitors put their trust in ZF gearbox technology. ZF Sachs technology is also found in a great number of support vehicles outside the race truck classification.

Torture for high-technology

ZF and ZF Sachs technology must prove itself over a total rally distance of 9,578 kilometres, 5,656 kilometres of these in the fourteen special stages completed at racing speed. The quantity of stages has increased by 31 per cent in comparison to the last Dakar Rally held in 2007. However, the conditions are entirely new: The Dakar Rally guests in South America for the first time between 3 and 18 January when it crosses Argentina and Chile, and where a completely different type of topography and totally new tracks compared to the traditional route through Africa awaits the teams. Crossing the Andes twice numbers among the challenges that every competitor must master.

Suspension and transmission technology in the cars

A partnership since the 2006 season unites ZF Sachs and the Volkswagen factory team. Volkswagen relies on clutches and dampers which were specifically developed for the Race Touareg 2. The 280 hp five-cylinder TDI engine transmits its power via a 170 millimetre diameter three-plate clutch. The ceramic discs are manufactured from carbon-fibre strengthened silicon carbide and provide optimum protection to the excessive heat, against dirt, in water splashes and over long distances. The clutch is designed to run for 15,000 kilometres without maintenance. In special situations, like escaping from soft sand, extreme heat loading occurs. For this purpose, ZF Sachs Race Engineering developed a special heat shielding for the membrane spring. At the same time the technicians select high-temperature steel alloys since the material titanium is prohibited by the regulations.

The loads in the Race Touareg 2 suspension are by no means lower. The spring travel and forces at each individual wheel are accepted by two dampers originating from ZF Sachs Race Engineering. With the regulations stipulating a minimum weight of 1,787.5 kilograms extreme damper forces occur over a duration spanning many hours. The telescopic single-tube dampers which have an external reservoir are derived from the Formula model range. The dampers are three-way adjustable (one-way in rebound and two-way in bump, specifically for low and high-speed piston speeds). Additionally there are adjustable hydraulic bump and rebound stops. The stop prevents the spring from going coil-bound.

With spring travel limited to a maximum 250 millimetres damper-stoke values of up to 180 millimetres arise at the wishbones. Spring compression velocities of between 6 and 7 metres per second occur under extreme conditions. In the process the dampers convert kinetic energy into heat energy. Temperatures exceeding 200 degrees Celsius are not unusual and require special fluids and seals. Dedicated air ducts and ribbed reservoirs improve heat dissipation.

Mitsubishi competes with an entirely new technical concept and in doing so also trusts German technology. The Racing Lancer, successor of the successful Pajero Evolution which won the event every year since 2003, contests the Dakar Rally for the first time. The second serious innovation: Mitsubishi starts for the first time with diesel power as well. A three-litre V6 diesel engine drawing air through four turbo-chargers has been designed and built since April 2006. The power unit transmits its 280 hp and 650 Newton metres torque via a completely new ZF Sachs Race Engineering clutch. Technicians from the Schweinfurt based company designed a 184-millimetre diameter three-plate clutch. The pull-activated module is designed to accept 1,800 Newton metres torque and has withstood all destruction tests. The clutch is designed as steel-sinter construction.

Numerous ZF products in the truck class and in the support vehicles

ZF also has bespoke solutions ready for its truck competitors: ZF-EcoSplit manual gearboxes are found in the MAN race and service trucks. Kamaz equips its trucks with the ZF-EcoSplit 16S 251 gearbox incorporating Servoshift, the pneumatic gear-shift assistance, and the ZF Sachs MFZ 430 clutch. The four-wheel drive transfer gearbox ZF Steyr VG 2000 and the ZF Servocom steering also originate from the German technology partner.

In addition to the thoroughbred race trucks, support vehicles also start in the truck class to assist the teams in the car, motorbike and quad classifications. MAN models are particularly popular. Just in 2007 there were 24 German all-wheel drive trucks entered in the race classification, in 2009 it will be 30. The latest generation of the MAN TGS 26.480 6×6 model will also appear. These new model are equipped with the fully-automatic ZF AS-Tronic gearbox for the first time. Intelligent electronics allow, among other things, manual gear selection. Thanks to its broad range of advantages the innovative system has long since established itself in the hands of many customers in normal road use: Lower operating costs and improved cost-effectiveness, greater payload, maximum safety and comfort and also greater eco-friendliness distinguish the ZF AS-Tronic.