The Kingdom of Bahrain has revealed the new team and car set to make their debuts in the 2021 Dakar Rally. The team called Bahrain Raid Xtreme (BRX) is the Kingdom of Bahrain’s latest foray into the motorsport world after its sovereign wealth fund, Bahrain Mumtalakat Holding Company (Mumtalakat), established Prodrive International, a joint venture with the world-leading British motorsport business, Prodrive.  

BRX’s bespoke Dakar Rally T1 car builds on Prodrive’s experience competing at the highest levels of world motorsport for over three decades. In response to the latest Dakar Rally regulations and the likely terrain for the 2021 event, the team has chosen to create a four-wheel drive car, powered by a 3.5 litre turbo-charged petrol V6.  

Leading the project is David Richards CBE, founder and chairman of Prodrive, taking up the role of BRX Team Director. A World Rally Championship-winning co-driver in 1981, Richards was also instrumental in developing motorsport in the Middle East in the 1970s and 80s. Prodrive’s first venture was the Porsche rally team, which won the inaugural FIA Middle East Rally Championship in 1984.  

BRX Team Director, David Richards commented: “The Dakar Rally is one of the great challenges within motorsport, and one that Prodrive has been wanting to undertake for a long time; waiting for the right opportunity. The idea came from HRH Prince Salman; for Bahrain to enter a team. That was the birth of BRX.”

“Our design team has been working on the car for over nine months.  We have already been evaluating the engine on our transient dyno in Banbury and the first chassis is now being assembled in our workshop. The formation of a new team is incredibly exciting for everyone involved, and we truly believe we have created a team and car that is perfect to take on the Dakar Rally.”