Dacia Lodgy Glace: an exceptional car for an exceptional winter of Trophée Andros Racing

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The Dacia Lodgy Glace is the rebellious little sister of the new family road car which will be launched at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2012! The name itself evokes notions of generous interior space and a family world. However, thanks to its audacious character and record of rising to the craziest sporting challenges, Dacia has decided to make its third Trophée Andros campaign truly exceptional by rewriting all the rules. For the first time in the history of the Trophée Andros, the series will feature an MPV.

To spice up the new season, not just one but two Lodgy Glace entries will be on the grid for every race: one will be driven by Alain Prost, who finished as runner-up in the 2010 and 2011 Trophée Andros, at the wheel of a Dacia Duster Glace. The other Lodgy Glace will be shared by his son, Nicolas Prost and Evens Stievenart, Alain Prost’s team-mate and joint winner of last winter’s Superfinal at the Stade de France, Paris. It’s a question of family and friendship at the wheel a family car; a fitting parallel with a clear goal: victory!

The Lodgy Glace has been designed specifically for this unique racing series, which is renowned as one of the most challenging in motorsport. The technical regulations of the Trophée Andros are extremely strict, and impose restrictions on all aspects of the vehicle (chassis dimensions, gearbox, tyres), including the materials employed. Everything is done to limit the use of complex and costly technical solutions: instead, this series is all about finding simple, ingenious solutions, a measure which fits perfectly with the Dacia brand. The series also brings the car reliability to the fore, as well as the driver skill.

Custom-prepared by the teams at Tork Engineering (design, production, assembly) and Sodemo (engine), the Lodgy Glace benefits from the full expertise of Renault Sport Technologies (RST). Throughout the project, RST has contributed its technical and sporting expertise from the world of motorsport: it acts like a conductor, perfectly coordinating the different technical partners and disciplines (design, engineering), the Dacia brand and the drivers.

The new Lodgy Glace draws on both the proven technical solutions of its predecessor, Dacia Duster Glace, and specific developments. On the technical front, the Trophée Andros is a series where tiny details can play a decisive role. The experience gained during previous seasons has been used to conduct a thorough analysis, whose conclusions have led to improvements in:

  • suspension: track conditions from last year were replayed on the four-post rig at CERAM, in order to develop new set-ups based on the new steering calibration;
  • engine performance: last season, engine development focused on improving bottom-end performance. This year, the engine’s peak power has also been increased.

Source: Dacia (press release/media site)