Adria has participated in the Dakar Rally with world-class partner, the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team, every year since 2013. That’s ten times Adria motorhomes have made it from start to finish in support of the leading off-road motorcycle brand. The Dakar – it’s the ultimate real world test of durability and reliability.
Adria Sonic, Matrix, Coral and Coral XL motorhomes, come straight off the Adria production line with just an extra set of spare tyres. KTM then prepare them by adding a custom pack of special equipment, including sand shovels, outdoor drying racks and first aid equipment. ‘’The rider’s favourite? Coral XL because of the layout, with riders sleeping in fixed beds each end of the vehicle’’.
The motorhomes don’t follow the rider’s route but drive ahead at each stage to set up a nightly basecamp, using a combination of roads, tracks and surfaces you wouldn’t take your own motorhome down.
Formerly the "Paris–Dakar Rally", the Dakar is an annual rally organised by the Amaury Sport Organisation. Since 1978 it ran from Paris to Dakar, Senegal, but due to security threats, from 2009 to 2019 it was held in South America and since 2020 in Saudi Arabia. The rally is a magnet for professional entries, yet amateurs typically make up about eighty percent of the participants. It’s the most extreme form of endurance rally for all sorts of motorized vehicles. Terrain is much tougher than conventional rallies, with off-road cars, trucks and motorcycles tackling dunes, mud, camel grass, and rocks. Daily stages vary from short distances up to 800–900 kilometres (500–560 miles), with overall distances typically 8,000 kilometres (5,000 miles) over 10-15 days. Typically, over 400 vehicles take part but not all vehicles make it to the end, which is why the rally is called the world’s most extreme automotive off-road endurance event.
Dakar Roll of Honour
KTM Group winners at the Dakar, with the support of an Adria motorhome:
2013
Cyril Despres KTM
2014
Marc Coma KTM
2015
Marc Coma KTM
2016
Toby Price KTM
2017
Sam Sunderland KTM
2018
Matthias Walkner KTM
2019
Toby Price KTM
2020
Sam Sunderland GasGas
“Dakar is the ultimate road test of our motorhomes, not just the hours of extreme driving to keep ahead of the riders but also having to be home bases at each stage of the event. No other real-world test comes close, it’s punishing in the extreme.
Flat out driving, extreme climate conditions, a mix of terrains and then providing some home comforts to the riders and team each night. There is no room for error or breakage – each motorhome has to perform.
Our experience in helping the KTM and its brands win Dakar so many times in the last decade, has been a great testament to our unique experience in designing and manufacturing world class vehicles”
Matjaz Grm, Adria-Mobil’s Executive Director for Sales & Marketing
100% Dakar. 100% Adria Quality
We spoke with KTM Group Rally Team Manager Norbert Stadlbauer for his insights into the Dakar and his Adria experiences.
"Every year, the Adria motorhomes make a big difference to our performance and are a key part of the operation. The riders and crew get some rest, give us a mobile basecamp and despite the extreme conditions, the vehicles rarely suffer any problems, except for the occasional puncture or minor collision! Like the whole KTM team they perform at 100%”
For KTM, what does Dakar represent. Why is it so important?
Dakar is the toughest off-road endurance race of the year for our riders and our team. It is the most important race on the Rally calendar and also has a huge value within our company. It is always the first race of the new motorsport season, so for us it is really important to start the year with a Dakar win.
Describe the Dakar experience from the Support team and Rider perspective. What’s the experience like?
The logistics behind the race are a much bigger effort than for all other races in terms of preparation time and Budget. The importance of the race and also the length, with 12 stages, creates a very special atmosphere. Winning Dakar is a team effort, and you need every person involved in this project to take a victory. It is the most physically and mentally demanding off-road race.
Winning Dakar. KTM has long been dominant and is always at or near the front. What’s the secret to winning Dakar?
KTM was kind of used to dominating the Dakar. In the last years, competition has grown. Sam Sunderland’s win this year is a great success for us. After winning 18 consecutive times it was hard to accept not being first, but we developed a new bike and can’t be happier to be on the top podium in 2022. Teamwork makes the dream work – I guess that is the secret.
Give us some highs and lows from recent Dakar Rallies. What were your most memorable moments of elation (and despair)?
Highs: Every stage win or good result and having all riders back in one piece! This year, 2022, Sam Sunderland’s victory and Matthias Walkner’s 3rd place. The feeling when you are on the podium with the trophy for first place (we call him ‘’Felix’’) with the whole team is just incredible and then all the hard work has paid off!
Lows: Crashes or any of our riders being out of the race because of a technical problem.
Describe the ‘support’ behind Dakar. What does it take to compete and win? What do Adria motorhomes bring to this? What’s the team and rider perspective on these vehicles?
To have a rider on top of the podium involves many factors. Our mechanics, our technicians, our Team Manager, Sports Manager and all persons involved in the logistics play a major role in the performance of the rider; we can’t achieve the results without our partners like Adria.
The Adria motorhomes play a major role in our rider’s recovery. The riders really live in the campers for two weeks. They have all their gear, food & other material organized in the camper, they have lunch and dinner there and of course an afternoon nap after their shower in the camper and a good night’s sleep. The days start really early in Dakar. Wake up time is usually between 03:00 and 04:00 in the morning. So, you have less sleep and with all the event noise, the Adria campers at least secure these few hours of peaceful sleep.
Adria motorhomes at Dakar.
What’s their best feature?
Dakar is extreme so it’s critical that everything is reliable, durable and easy to use. We rely on Adria quality. It’s really put to the test. The conditions are very demanding and our team need to focus on winning. The motorhomes are easy to set up each day and have lot of storage space, as we take a lot of stuff.
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Adria Mobil has been designing and manufacturing recreational vehicles since 1965 and operates two state of the art manufacturing sites in Slovenia. To-date Adria Mobil has produced in excess of 600,000 recreational vehicles.
For all Adria motorhomes and selected caravans unique ‘Comprex’ body construction is used, combining the torsional strength of wood, the durability of polyester and the moisture-stopping properties of polyurethane. This delivers outstanding durability and longevity. Adria Mobil uses plasmatreat robots for specialist application of adhesives, it uses advanced thermal insulation materials and smart heat and air flow management for reliable thermal performance and all-year round use.
Composite wood panel. Polyurethane sealing. EPS Styrofoam. Exterior polyester body shell cladding (sidewall). Exterior polyester body shell cladding (floor). XPS Styrofoam insulation foam. Reinforced hardwood profile.
Adria Mobil offers motorhomes and vans on Fiat, Citroen and now Mercedes-Benz, with minivans on Renault. All proven vehicle suppliers who understand the special needs of the recreational vehicle market. Adria also works with the best specialist partners such as AL-KO for specific vehicle chassis.
Adria Mobil controls many aspects of sourcing, production and distribution. It has its’ own furniture manufacturing facility designing and producing quality, robust furniture as well in-house assembly operations, like electrical systems, for critical parts of each vehicle.
Adria Mobil is one of very few recreational vehicle factories with its own Climate Chamber. Here whole vehicles and key components can be tested to extremes of temperature and humidity from -40 to +60 degrees and in humidity from 45% to 80% between +30 and +60 degrees.
Visit www.adria-mobil.com for more information.
