Bahrain Raid Xtreme (BRX) has redesigned the Prodrive Hunter to meet the new T1+ regulations recently announced by the FIA, which is now the top class alongside T1-E. The new regulations were introduced to help balance the performance of the four and two wheel drive cars in the T1 class.
The Hunter will run on larger tyres, with increased suspension travel and a wider track. 37” tyres on 17” rims, replace the current 32” tyres on 16” rims, with suspension travel increased from 280mm to 350mm and the body width increased from 2m to 2.3m to accommodate this.
These changes have necessitated some significant changes to the Hunter’s drivetrain; suspension and bodywork. The suspension geometry has been reconfigured with longer wishbones and dampers, and there are larger brakes accommodated in the 17” wheels. The larger tyre radius increases the load in the drivetrain so driveshafts, the propshaft and differentials have all been modified. The wider track has also meant nearly half the bodywork has been redesigned with Callum restyling the Hunter to suit the new regulations, while keeping the same distinctive look.
Prodrive has taken the opportunity to increase the size of the windscreen and fit a new programmable wiper motor to improve the driver’s visibility. The onboard jacks have been improved to not only be lighter and stronger, but to lift the car faster and can now be powered by an electric pump for additional reliability.
Gus Beteli, BRX team principal, said: “We are very pleased the organisers have addressed the disparity in regulations between the buggies and the four wheel drive T1 cars, where larger tyres had an advantage over rough terrain. We’ve learnt a huge amount on our debut this year and have put all this learning into improving the car and believe our new Hunter T1+ is a significant step forward. We are looking forward to returning to Saudi in January, where we will be looking to challenge for victory.”
BRX competed with the T1 car for the last time at Baja Aragon last week, where the Hunter showed its pace setting fastest times on eight of the rally’s 11 sectors.
The first Hunter T1+ car is currently being built at Prodrive’s headquarters in the UK and will run for the first time in September. The new car is also available to customers to compete in FIA Cross Country events, Bajas and at the Dakar in 2022.
