A brand new Mild Prototype side-by-side automobile developed by Nicolás Etchamendi will make its début on the Desafío Ruta 40 in August, competing within the T3 class.
Etchamendi is an engineer who runs Juan Pedro Etchamendi S.A, an import auto components retailer in Montevideo, Uruguay. He started constructing two prototypes in December 2022, finishing the chassis by March and submitting it to the FIA for approval. With the blessing of Uruguay’s motoring federation Automóvil Membership del Uruguay, the chassis handed homologation final week.
A groups for the automotive was not instantly revealed, although reviews have recommended Luis Henderson as the highest candidate to drive with Sergio Lafuente as navigator. Each have competed on the Dakar Rally on quads earlier than switching to vehicles, with Henderson having raced for each the FIA and FIM Bajas World Cups. Lafuente received the Desafío Ruta 40 on a quad in 2014 and the DR 40 Sur in 2017, together with the 2016 version because the co-driver for Sebastián Halpern; he referred to as the pictures for the T3 of Diego Martinez at the newest World Rally-Raid Championship spherical in Sonora, ending sixth in school.
If issues go as deliberate, the automotive would be the fourth T3 producer to race in 2023. Whereas the Can-Am Maverick X3 is the most well-liked automobile in each T3 and the production-based T4, the Yamaha YXZ1000R Turbo Prototype and MCE-5 T3M are additionally used; the latter can even improve from one to a few entries on the DR 40.
The Desafío Ruta 40 takes place in neighbouring Argentina, making it the best location for the SSV to run its first race. Nevertheless, regardless of the FIA’s thumbs up, the venture is presently incomplete as Etchamendi tries to complete the automobile in time. The race will start on 27 August and run via 1 September.
