Alfie Cox hopes to race again the Volvo which burned out in the very first stage of this year's Dakar Rally.
The new Pewano Volvo team from Sweden started the 2012 Dakar rally with high intentions. The goal was to get the Volvo XC60 RR to Lima with a top-ten finish in the hands of South African Dakar legend Alfie Cox and his German co-driver, Jürgen Schröder.
2012 was the pair's fourth Dakar together and they were very confident about their ability to achieve the team goals.
"Sadly enough we never got the opportunity to prove the car and ourselves," said the team after a fire burned out the car on the very first day. "The entire team and I are touched by the support so many of you have given us through this tough period. It's truly heart warming and we want to thank all of you."
"We have conducted a preliminary investigation of the car, being as thorough as we can, given the circumstances," said team manager, Hans Sönksen. "This accident was what is known as a "racing incident". We discovered that a hose end to one of the power steering hoses at the steering rack was damaged and probably caused a major leakage of the power steering and hydro jack fluid. We have reached this conclusion based on the inspection of the car, the driver's experience, location of the car in the dunes, the wind and fire direction. We handed over the remains of our car to the ASO in Lima, Peru; they will safely ship it back to Europe, where we will collect it in Le Havre, France, for transportation back home to Sweden. Again, thank you for the support that we have received worldwide. The months of dedication and commitment by many people, it's not for nothing."
"This is such a disappointment for everyone in the team," said Cox on his return to South Africa. "That was the most amazing car I have ever driven in a race. She was strong, steady, extremely responsive; I never had to fight the steering or battle to correct her in a slide. The power and speed of this car was definitely amongst the top in the event and it was undoubtedly capable of a top-ten finish, if not a podium. The support we have had before the race was fantastic, but the support we got after the incident was simply overwhelming. Thank you to everyone who has been so extremely encouraging. We don't know what the future holds yet, but I would really like to drive the XC60 again."
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