Dakar-winning Dacia Sandrider will trade the desert for the Hill at the Festival of Speed

At only Dacia’s second-ever visit to Dakar, drivers Nasser Al-Attiyah and Fabian Lurquin navigated their Sandrider over January’s two-week event to the overall cars victory, while nine-time World Rally Champion Loeb finished fourth with co-driver Edouard Boulanger.

Loeb first drove the Sandrider when it made its debut at the 2024 Rallye du Maroc, where he finished second to fellow Dacia driver Al-Attiyah, and came fourth overall in the 2025 World Rally-Raid Championship.

The Sandrider was developed by Dacia with Prodrive and Renault-Alpine to compete in the Ultimate T1+ class and is powered by a Nissan Z 3.0-litre V6 twin-turbo engine. Its carbon body is on a tubular frame chassis while a reinforced subframe and shock absorbers and double wishbone suspension sees it fit for the toughest of terrains.

At the Festival of Speed the Sandrider will face its latest challenge, and Loeb has been charged with taking it up the Hill and putting it through its paces in the Off-Road Arena, where the Sandrider will really show what it was built for at the purpose-built dirt course.

Loeb is no stranger to the Goodwood Hill; he won the 2014 Timed Shoot-Out with a time of 0:44.60 in a Peugeot 208 T16 Pikes Peak, and now returns to the Festival of Speed for a new test in this Dakar-conquering monster.

“I’m really pleased to be coming back to Goodwood Festival of Speed,” Loeb said. “It’s such a legendary event, with a very special atmosphere and so many passionate fans. To be there with the Dacia Sandrider, a car that has won the Dakar, will be a great moment. It’s a very impressive car to drive, and I can’t wait to show it off in front of the Goodwood crowd.”

Tickets for the Festival of Speed are limited. Only Thursday admission remains but hospitality packages for all four days are available. Missed out on a ticket for Friday or Saturday? Find out how you can access our sold-out days with one of our new packages.

If you’re not already part of the GRRC, joining the Fellowship means you can save ten per cent on your 2026 tickets and grandstand passes, as well as enjoy a whole host of other on-event perks.