Racing test: Astara 01 Concept, the "cleanest" car in the Dakar

The buggy is spectacular in size, sound, proportions and design. It is even somewhat intimidating, given the aggressiveness of its shapes and the forceful sound of its engine. But beyond the superfluous, the colour brought by the sponsors and the most visual aspects, this Astara 01 Concept has a strong ecological component: it is the first team that has taken care to measure and offset the environmental impact of its participation in the Dakar Rally.

Nobody asked them to; they did it voluntarily, to show their commitment to society in this respect, and that is why it is especially commendable. And it is not a one-off: the goal is to do the same in the coming years, always studying the best solution to compete without turning their back on the environment and looking for the best option for the future. This year it has been e-fuel, an eco-friendly fuel; next year it could be extended-range, perhaps hydrogen after that and finally the fully electric car. Who knows.

Sustainability commitment at the Dakar 2022

Astara Team has fulfilled its sustainability commitment at the Dakar 2022. The team has shown that it is possible to compete at the highest level with minimal environmental impact. The V8 of the buggy driven by Oscar Fuertes used e-fuel, a state-of-the-art eco-friendly fuel. A litre of e-fuel currently costs around eight euros and contains the energy equivalent of 10.752 kWh, so its energy yield is 12% higher than petrol. This e-fuel is a blend that is 70 per cent renewable in origin in order to achieve zero balance, but the remaining 30 per cent is fossil in origin, which is why emissions must be measured and offset to neutralise them and reach the desired zero carbon footprint.

E-fuel combines hydrogen and carbon to create a hydrocarbon with properties similar to petrol. But e-fuel is carbon neutral, so its environmental impact is nil. The CO2 released into the atmosphere during combustion is the same as that extracted from the air during production. Moreover, when burned it leaves no solid residues. It can be stored and transported like conventional fuels and is compatible with combustion engines powering vehicles, aircraft and boats. Astara Team measured the team’s carbon footprint throughout its participation in the Dakar 2022, according to the GHG Protocol and the ISO 14064 standard. The carbon footprint measures the volume of greenhouse gases (GHG) generated for any reason, such as an event like the Dakar. GHGs include, among others, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrogen oxides, CFCs and ozone.

According to data certified by Aenor, ASTARA TEAM emitted 16.5 tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere during the Dakar… 16.5 tonnes of CO2 already represents a saving of 7.73 tonnes thanks to e-Fuel compared with conventional competition petrol. To offset it, two projects have been selected: the conservation of the Madre de Dios area in the Peruvian Amazon, which is endangered, and in Spain the Madrid Compensa programme, which focuses on urban and forest green areas. Thanks to this, it can be stated that ASTARA TEAM was the most sustainable and environmentally respectful team at the Dakar 2022.

Developed on the basis of the Century CR-6.

And having said this, applauded and supported for its commitment to society, ecology, sustainability and the environment… let’s get to the point. The Astara 01 Concept is a very light and powerful rear-wheel-drive buggy, with incredible suspension travel capable of swallowing trenches more than a metre high or deep without the cabin barely noticing. On paper it is a serious contender for victory in the Dakar under the current regulations, as has happened in some stages of previous editions.

The Astara 01 Concept has been well differentiated from the original base, which is that of the Century CR-6 buggies developed by the expert Mark Corbett in South Africa, allied with Mathieu Serradori, who won a stage of the Dakar, demonstrating that the base is good enough to give the major official teams a fight. The layout is not revolutionary; it is rather the usual one, but very well executed, reliable and robust. Stripped of the fibreglass bodywork lies a multitubular chassis with independent double wishbone suspension of long travel, designed to fit 37-inch-diameter wheels with enormous tyres that fly over the holes.

As the buggy regulations require, it is rear-wheel drive only, which contributes to the lightness of the whole, leaving the area immediately behind the cabin to house an imposing V8 cylinder block. It is an imposing seven-litre Chevrolet engine that delivers 385 CV of power and exceptional torque of over 700 Nm. This performance, always approximate, is what has been achieved after developing the electronic map best suited to the use of e-fuel. Moreover, with such a powertrain the aim is not to squeeze out a few more horsepower to gain a little speed; what is sought is greater torque, more force at low revs to get out of tricky spots. Next comes a six-speed sequential manual gearbox from Sadev with reverse, a sophisticated gearbox that, except for pulling away, barely requires use of the clutch, although it is quite advisable when decelerating.

The tuning of the engine for the use of synthetic fuel, as well as the maintenance of the gearbox and the rest of the car, has received all the attention and care of an expert such as Gonzalo Martín de Andrés of SMC Motorsport in the races; he and his whole team have had a very intense experience at this Dakar, but they are already thinking about how to improve for the next one, which will surely be better.

Very racing interior

Getting in and out of the cabin are the two most complicated operations when driving this competition prototype. You need a certain contortionist’s flexibility, and the advice of the mechanics, who have seen drivers and co-drivers bump their heads more than a few times, is most welcome. The doors are very small and open like gull-wing doors, and to get in you first have to sit on the sill, turn your body, bring in your legs, then your hips, and drop onto the bucket seat… once inside it is surprisingly comfortable.

The interior is amazing: with so many buttons it is easy to get a little confused, and that is without all the navigation gadgets, of which there are quite a few. Electrical master switch, red buttons, starter, some fuses, access to the 400-litre main fuel tank, access to the secondary tank, rear pump, front pump, lights, windscreen wipers, horn, engine temperatures and… air conditioning! This is the limit: they head off on an excursion into the desert with air conditioning and everything. Well, and other controls that are really useful, such as the car’s hydraulic jacks or the wheel self-inflation system operated from the cabin, although in the end none of this avoids having to resort from time to time to the sand ladders and shovels to clear sand from the wheels.

Pleasure at the wheel, but maximum concentration

At the wheel it is all simplicity and guaranteed fun. Oscar Fuertes laughed with a certain resignation, confirming that everything is very easy until you push it to the limit, at which point it becomes sublime, but delicate and not within everyone’s reach, least of all for fifteen days with stages of over eight hundred kilometres without stopping. The steering is smooth and precise, the gearbox a delight, with which it is hard to believe you could miss a shift; the suspension is spectacular because it never feels excessively hard at any moment, and instead it flies over trenches that a conventional off-roader would have to negotiate with manoeuvres. Visibility is good looking forward, poor to the sides and ridiculous to the rear.

It is always better to look ahead, but when manoeuvring you have to be careful. The brake feel is firm, but it stops beautifully, and the hardest thing turned out to be the throttle feel. The engine is large, robust and willing, but it pulls almost to infinity and the buggy flies in a straight line; in bends, however, the excessive sensitivity of the accelerator pedal makes it difficult to dose the power correctly, and this easily provokes a marked oversteer that can end in a spin. It is fun and also makes it very agile once you get the feel for it, but beware of disrespecting the throttle, because there is a lot of torque and a lot of power held in check.

Things done well are worth double

The experience has been most satisfying. More than the pleasure of driving an sensational competition machine, it was seeing how a purely Racing initiative can be managed with respect for the environment, aiming not to harm the planet and, on the contrary, to improve it for the future through actions that, although they require effort and also part of the budget, can be carried out.

Technical specifications Astara 01 Concept

• Chassis and bodywork Tubular with carbon fibre bodywork
• Length, width, height 2,200 mm, 4,650 mm, 1,750 mm
• Wheelbase 2,980 mm
• Weight 1,621 kg (40% front, 60% rear)
• Suspension Double wishbone front and rear, three-way adjustable Bos dampers with 440 mm of travel
• Brakes Disc, AP Racing
• Wheels Forged Wheel Pro, 17 inch
• Tyres BF Goodrich 37×12.5R17
• Fuel tanks 2 x 180 litres of e-fuel
• Stored energy 3,870 kWh
• Engine LS7 7.0L V8
• Restrictor Aluminium, 37.2 mm
• ECU Motec M1
• Power 283 kW (380 CV) at 4,600 rpm
• Torque 720 Nm at 4,300 rpm
• Gearbox SADEV SL90-23 sequential, 6 speeds
• Clutch AP triple-plate CP7373

Astara 01 Concept image gallery

Photography: Astara Team and RM