Prodrive has established a new company Prodrive International as they go into partnership with the Bahrain Mumtalakat Holding Company to introduce a brand new team and car for the Dakar 2021 season.
Prodrive has had a successful history in rally and circuit racing over the past decades with in-house built championship-winning cars, they will now further expand by introducing a new team to tackle the world-famous Dakar rally.
“Prodrive has participated in numerous regional and international motorsports events throughout its 30+ years of operation, winning six FIA World Rally Championships, five Le Mans titles and seven Middle East Rally Championships.” Khalid Al Rumaihi, Mumtalakat CEO, said.
“We’re very proud of the Rally’s move to the region and in partnering with Prodrive, we expand Bahrain’s significant motorsport heritage, having established the Bahrain International Circuit to host Formula One in the Middle East for the first time in 2004.’
The new Dakar car is currently being developed by Prodrive and it will be competing in the T1 class. The team will be fielding two cars next season and also continue with it for the upcoming ones.
The car will also be built for customers, where clients can order one directly from Prodrive ready-made and will offer performance parts and spares.
“It has been a long-held ambition of mine and Prodrive to compete in the Dakar Rally. To be able to do so with the Kingdom of Bahrain’s sovereign wealth fund, Mumtalakat, and in Saudi Arabia, makes the prospect even more special as the Middle East is where Prodrive started its motorsport journey in 1984,” David Richards, Founder & chairman at Prodrive, said.
“Dakar is a new and challenging project for Prodrive, but one that I and the whole team in Banbury are relishing.’
“As well as aiming to be competitive and innovative at the Dakar Rally in its fabulous new Middle Eastern setting, this joint venture also presents the opportunity to introduce to the Kingdom of Bahrain further high technology industries, which create employment, enhance local expertise and raise the profile of Bahrain as a centre of technological excellence in the Arabian Gulf,” Jonny Bourne, CEO of Prodrive International, added.