Prodrive was one of the protagonists of the Dakar 2021, not so much for the performance of its BRX Hunter T1 as for his landing in the premier class of the toughest rally-raid in the world. After a year of apprenticeship, the British team had what it took to take a step forward in the 2022 edition and fight one-on-one against Toyota and X-Raid. However, the appearance of Audi and its hybrid 4×4 prototype as part of the new T1 E category has caused a real revolution. 4×4 combustion vehicles have ‘evolved’ under T1 + regulations and Prodrive has been in the position of developing a new car for the second consecutive year.
Thus was born the BRX Hunter T1 +, a vehicle that, like the Toyota GR DKR Hilux or the Ford Raptor T1 + from Prokop, has followed in the footsteps of this ‘patterned’ evolution. Wider body, new suspension with longer travel and bigger tiresThe only major change outside of the script being the new arrangement – not fairing – of the spare wheels. Under this premise, Prodrive engineers have redefined a BRX Hunter to be piloted by Sébastien Loeb, Nani Roma and presumably ‘Orly’ Terranova, leaving the option of seeing Cristina Gutiérrez with one of the BRX Hunter T1 + in the freezer, at least for the moment.
Beyond the ‘external’ changes, The BRX Hunter T1 + will also debut new sustainable fuel offering an 80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions while matching or even improving performance over high-octane gasoline. The agreement with Coryton Advanced Fuels has made possible the use of this type of fuel in a 4×4 prototype that is now starting its most intense test phase with a long test session in the Middle East. The team is expected to contest its T1 + the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge and the Ha’il Rally.