The return trip from Lima on January 20^th has now reached its destination and
together with all the other European competitors' vehicles, the Pewano cars and Service truck arrived in Le Havre last Friday. On board of the cargo ship were 700 vehicles (including race, assistance, organization and press vehicles) and it took a
total of 80 people to carry out the unloading procedures. We retrieved our vehicles this
Tuesday and have just finished the road trip back home to Sweden and Gothenburg.

» Cox hopes to race again

"That was the most amazing car I have ever driven in a race. She was strong, steady, extremely responsive; I never had to fight the steering or battle to correct her in a slide. The power and speed of this car was definitely amongst the top in the event and it was undoubtedly capable of a top-ten finish, if not a podium. The support we have had before the race was fantastic, but the support we got after the incident was simply overwhelming. Thank you to everyone who has been so extremely encouraging. We don't know what the future holds yet, but I would really like to drive the XC60 again."

Pewano started the 2012 Dakar rally with high intentions. The goal was
to bring the Volvo XC60 RR to Lima and the podium within a top ten
finish. Sadly enough we never got the opportunity to prove the car and
ourselves. Me and the entire team is touched by the support so many
of you have given us through this tough period. It’s truly heartwarming
and we want to thank all of you!

Our car has now arrived to Lima without a chance to reach the podium this time.

We have conducted a preliminary investigation of the car, being as thoroughly as
we can given the circumstances. This accident is what is used to be called a “racing incident”. We discovered that a hose end to one of the power steering hoses at the steering rack was damaged and probably caused a major leakage of the power steering and hydro jack fluid. We have reached this conclusion based on the inspection of the car, the driver’s experience, location of the car in the dunes, the wind and fire direction.

When the 2012 Dakar rally ends in Lima, Peru on 15th January we will hand over all
our vehicles to ASO (organizer of the Dakar rally) and their safe hands for the return
shipping to Europe. By the middle of February we will collect them again in Le Havre,
France, for transportation back to Sweden.

Again, thank you for the support that we have received worldwide.
The months of dedication and commitment by many people, it’s not for nothing.

Looking back as we look forward.


Hans Sönksen
Team Manager

The Swedish team Pewano never got the chance to show their full capacity during the world’s toughest race – the 2012 Dakar Rally.
Half way into the first special, the violent fire forced Alfie Cox
and Jürgen Schröder to abandon the PEWANO XC60 RR.

“The car went up in flames and a large part has been totally destroyed" , says Hans Sönksen, Team Manager of Pewano. He continues: “We are terribly disappointed and sad. We knew this would not be easy, but that the car would catch fire, was not even a conceivable scenario. During 14 days of racing you always have to be prepared for mechanical problems, but since we had all the necessary fire equipment and had secured all flammable material - even in our wildest imagination - we had not been able to predict this.”

It was during the first stage between Mar del Plata and Santa Rosa de la Pampa, after a couple hours of faultless driving, that something went wrong. With the car gutted by the flames, it’s not possible to determine what caused the fire, but we believe that a leak in either the power steering pump or one of the hoses in the power steering system was the cause.

“We were racing at the pace of the front-runners, the car was absolutely stunning. I did not have to fight to keep up the speed, and I enjoyed every moment of the drive as the car was so easy to control. About 30km into the stage, the power-steering failed and the next moment my side of the car was engulfed in flames. We immediately tried to extinguish the fire, but it was just not possible. Fortunately we managed to escape from the burning car; however the entire team is really shaken-up and very, very disappointed”, explains a devastated Cox.

For the last couple of months everyone in the Pewano team has worked day and night for this race, and to see the car get burned into ashes - there’s only one word to describe the overall feeling: emptiness. Everybody associated with the project stand equally heartbroken. We were set to bring the car to the finish in Lima, regardless of results, and now we are deprived of that opportunity.

Despite the violent fire, both Cox and Schröder are unharmed. Cox remarked: “It could have been much worse, the most feared moment for any racing driver is to be caught in a burning vehicle, we escaped and we are shocked, and disillusioned, but otherwise fine. I feel truly sorry for the team; they worked really hard in preparing the car. Now we will re-group, and plan our way forward."