All it needed, though, was some new oil and filters. 1 2 36 37 The revolution began in 2004, when the Race Touareg lined up at the Dakar Rally as the first vehicle with a turbo-diesel engine to actually start the race with a realistic chance of winning. “The advantages are the lower consumption and greater torque,” said Eduard Weidl, project leader at Volkswagen Motorsport at the time, describing the differences between the Touareg and the previously undefeated petrol cars. The throttle response of the turbo diesel was perfectly suited to driving in deep sand – a key factor in the marathon rally, which at that time still ran through the Sahara. With daily stages of up to 800 kilometres, the smaller amount of fuel on board was also a measurable weight advantage. DESERT RACER FROM LOWER SAXONY Weidl and engine specialist Donatus Wichelhaus developed a thoroughbred desert racer (RT1), which was visually reminiscent of the Touareg. Weighing just 50 kilograms, the chassis housed a tubular space frame made of aircraft-grade steel as its load-bearing structure. The 202-kW (275-PS) in-line, five-cylinder TDI engine drew parallels with the production Touareg. On its debut in 2004, France’s Bruno Saby finished sixth. One year later, Jutta Kleinschmidt, the only woman ever to win the Dakar Rally, came home third in Dakar. In 2006, Volkswagen Motorsport returned with the second generation of the Race Touareg (RT2), which now featured a fourvalve cylinder head and a modified chassis with shorter overhangs. South African Giniel de Villiers narrowly missed out on victory. The following year, American Mark Miller was the best-placed Race Touareg driver in fourth place. WINNING RUN IN SOUTH AMERICA Bruno Saby (2005) and two-time world rally champion Carlos Sainz (2007) did win the World Cup for Cross- Country Rallies with the Race Touareg.