With the presentation of the new Kwikpower Mercedes-Benz Team in Stuttgart, an exciting program is officially getting underway. On December 31, the former Mercedes-Benz works driver Ellen Lohr will compete in the Dakar Rally. Mercedes-Benz is supporting Lohr and the ORC Sport Service team from Nellingen near Stuttgart by providing service vehicles. “By participating in the Dakar Rally, we want to take the opportunity to demonstrate the prowess and reliability of the entire product range of the Mercedes-Benz brand,” said Andreas Renschler, member of the DaimlerChrysler Board of Management with responsibility for the Commercial Vehicles Division.

A mobile workshop will accompany the team inside the flagship model of the brand, the Mercedes-Benz Actros 3354 with all-wheel drive. The Mercedes-Benz Unimog U400 is perfect for the most extreme missions; it makes for a fast mobile spare parts depot and is also registered in the truck competition. The service fleet is rounded out by the new Mercedes-Benz Viano 4MATIC MPV and three M-Class vehicles. The new M-Class provides the ideal platform, both as an escort vehicle and as a competition vehicle.

Mercedes-Benz Service and Kwikpower International - strong partners

By taking part in the event, the DaimlerChrysler business unit Global Service and Parts is highlighting its high standing in the field of service and logistics. Mercedes-Benz Service is successful in after sales in 160 countries worldwide. The British company Kwikpower International has likewise made a name for it-self worldwide with its impressive expertise in renewable energy and alternative fuels. In addition to these two main sponsors, the team is being supported by other strong partners — NAVIGON, the European market leader for mobile navigation systems, and Airnergy, a young company enjoying good success with equipment for respiratory air therapy.

Ellen Lohr and Detlef Ruf in Rally prototype based on the M-Class

The competition vehicle to be driven by Ellen Lohr and co-driver Detlef Ruf is a prototype based on the new Mercedes-Benz M-Class. It was developed by the ORC Sport Service team under the direction of Hans Baur and designer Andreas Lennartz. Following initial testing success in Tunisia, the Kwikpower Mercedes-Benz team will enter the finale of the Marathon World Cup on November 9, in the United Arab Emirates -— as a “dress rehearsal” for the Dakar desert classic. The Dakar Rally begins on December 31 of this year in Lisbon and traverses roughly 9,000 kilometers in North Africa before finishing in the Senegalese capital Dakar, where drivers are expected to arrive beginning on January 15, 2006.