Dacia will shutter its Dakar-winning rally-raid program at the conclusion of the 2026 World Rally-Raid Championship, bringing its program to a conclusion earlier than originally planned.
It entered the rally-raid ranks in late 2024 with the clear target of winning the Dakar. It achieved this objective last month, with Nasser Al-Attiyah and Edouard Boulanger clinching victory on the brand’s second attempt at rally-raid’s biggest prize.
Its four-driver lineup of Al-Attiyah, nine-time World Rally champion Sébastien Loeb, reigning W2RC champion Lucas Moraes and Dakar Challenger class champion Cristina Gutiérrez will see out their originally planned programs in W2RC, with securing that title now Dacia’s main objective.
“The brand has reached its objective on Dakar 2026 and wants now to fight for the Championship and will stop after to focus on its core business expertise,” a Dacia spokesperson said.
“The program was initially planned to stop after Dakar 2027.”
Nasser Al-Attiyah's success on last month's Dakar has fulfilled Dacia's off-road objective
Renault Group’s motorsport commitments in question
Dacia’s departure comes against a backdrop of wider question marks surrounding Renault Group’s motorsport operations, primarily concerning its Viry-Châtillon facility that houses Alpine’s WEC team and was previously home to Renault’s Formula 1 engine program.
The city’s mayor Jean-Marie Vilain issued an extraordinary press release earlier this week accusing Renault Group of “lies and betrayal” over the factory’s future over the manufacturer’s future plans for the factory.
“A monitoring committee, established under the authority of the Prefecture of Essonne, was set up and met twice – on 8 October, 2024 and 5 March, 2025 – in the presence of the Prefect of Essonne, Alpine’s management, and myself, in order to oversee the establishment of this future center of excellence and innovation to replace the F1 engine development facility,” Vilain said in his statement.
Renault changed its CEO in June 2025, with Luca de Meo departing and François Provost taking his place.
“While we were seeking to reconvene this monitoring committee to take stock of the situation following the arrival at the end of July 2025 of Renault’s new chief executive, François Provost, after the departure of Luca de Meo, I was astonished to learn that Renault was reneging on its commitments regarding the Alpine site – an announcement that is due to be made at a Social and Economic Committee meeting on 12 February.
“This is nothing short of scandalous, as it disregards all the commitments that had been made and reiterated to both the town and employees during the two previous monitoring committees.”
