An ex-factory Ssangyong Musso equipped with Falken Wildpeak M/T tires has completed the 2022 Classic Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia.
Designed to be fast and durable, the Falken tires feature offset shoulder blocks to deliver a high level of traction on off-camber surfaces and an aggressive upper sidewall for added protection against debris.
“The main difference between Classic Dakar and the main event is that we run on less sand and on more off-piste and rocky tracks,” commented Joao Costa, project leader and driver. “Even though the average speeds are lower, the tires are still pushed to their limits.”
Having driven 7,500km on extremely harsh terrain, the 245/75 R16 tires finished the entire race without a single puncture, enabling the vehicle run by Portuguese racing team Alves Bandeira/TH-Trucks to finish 80th out of 121 finishers. Completing the race with zero punctures was a welcome and rare occurrence for the team, with multiple entrants enduring issues with their tires throughout the race.
“One team we know ran out of stock of their tires before the rest day,” said Costa. “Yet we completed all the stages without any penalties for exceeding stage time limits. We fulfilled our ambitions in this tough race. We had fun, didn’t get hurt and brought finisher medals home.
“I was skeptical about the Falken Wildpeaks before the event but after Stage 2 I knew it was a good choice. It was a real icing on the cake to complete 7,200km of running, 2,612km of which was on special stages, without a tire failure,” he concluded.
