Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/788859
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 19 FEBRUARY 2017 II Motoring Fiat Panda conquers world's most famous rally A Fiat Panda, PanDakar has set an all-time first in the history of the Dakar by being the first Italian car, the first Fiat car and the first utility car derived from a standard vehi- cle to successfully complete the most iconic of all rallies, running through Argentina, Bolivia and Paraguay, tackling all the race's stages with flying colours and sur- viving many extreme tests along the way. The 12 stages of the amazing 2017 Dakar ran through 3 Latin American states – Argentina, Bolivia and Paraguay – for a total distance of almost 9,000km and over 4,000km of exhausting special stages. Only 53 out of the 93 teams who started out made it to the finish, including the Oro- bica Raid team, which drove the PanDakar to success across harsh terrains and scorching deserts. Fiat played a starring role at the 2017 edition of the world's tough- est race, the Dakar, entering a car closely derived from the multiple award-winning Panda utility car. The PanDakar is a Fiat Panda 4x4 Cross fitted with an absolutely standard-yet-powerful, efficient 180hp 2.0 Multijet engine, with only a few changes made to enable the little utility vehicle to with- stand the race's extreme demands. Credit for the PanDakar's amaz- ing achievement goes to the Oro- bica Raid team, formed in 2008 and led by Giulio Verzeletti who has driven motorbikes, cars and trucks in 15 Dakars. The PanDa- kar was driven by Antonio Cabini, who has also participated in the race 20 times. Antonio drove the PanDakar through the finish line, relying on the invaluable input of Nicola Montecchio, who success- fully managed the entire engine preparation side, especially the features needed to overcome the high altitudes reached and maintained for long stretches of the event. The PanDakar, the first utility car closely derived from a production vehicle to complete the race, had to overcome plenty of challenges: 7 special stages were more than 400km long, including one which was over 500km long; car and crew had to deal with the problems caused by the shortage of oxygen due to the altitude, which never fell below 3,500 metres as they drove for 2,200km over five days. Moreover, temperatures often ex- ceeding 40°C, combined with the incredibly variable weather, put a strain on both the mechanical strength of the PanDakar and the physical resilience of its crew. The key characteristics that make the Fiat Panda Cross agile and easy to drive, starting from its compact size (it is Europe's best-selling 4x4 less than 3.8m in length), were fundamental to the PanDakar's amazing result in the 2017 Dakar Rally, thanks to its outstanding ability to deal with any terrain and weather condi- tions. These features – along with the versatility of its five doors and modular interior, its comfort level and the efficiency of its engines, with their four fuel options – ex- plain why the Panda was Europe's best-selling city car in 2016, setting an outstanding sales record with more than 190,000 registrations. For more information on the Panda and the Fiat line up of vehicles, visit the Fiat showroom in Psaila Street Birkirkara, call on: 22692213/4, email: fiatsales@ motorsinc.com.mt, or visit the website fiat.com.mt or the FiatMT facebook page.