1 of 12

2 of 12
3 of 12
The view from one of the most exciting seats I’ve ever sat in.
4 of 12
Massive custom A-Arms are designed to take massive impacts.
5 of 12
The stock rear axle has received a massive amount of bracing.
6 of 12
The business end of a 5.0L Toyota V-8.
7 of 12
The office, Dakar style.
8 of 12
The Dakar has a massive amount of rules requiring several parts to be sealed.
9 of 12
Pneumatic lifts exit the tube frame chassis to raise the Toyota when stuck.
10 of 12
A massive 500L fuel tank and several recovery supplies reside in the back seat.
11 of 12
The massive roof vent feeds air to four radiators as well as the driver’s compartment.
12 of 12
The Toyota being prepped for Dakar.
Story and photos by Budd Stanley
We pour over the ultra-exotic Aldo Racing Toyota Tacoma Dakar racer.
I give a good tug on what is an OEM door handle, however I nearly tear the door off its hinges it is so light. I crawl through the intricate cage work and flop down into a full carbon-racing bucket. In front of me is a carbon dash overcrowded with a confusing arrangement of buttons, dials and digital displays. The air I'm breathing has the distinct and familiar odour of Avgas. With the few flicks of his fingers, Patrick Beaulé lights the dash up like a Christmas tree; two driver displays scroll through diagnostics and a GPS unit in front of me sparks to life. Behind my head, I can here the whine of fuel pumps and electrical circuits as the vehicles’ on board systems wake from their slumber. One more flick of the finger and an anemic starter labours to turn eight pistons under high compression. Then with a light cough, five-litres of displacement ignites in a soft but precise rumble. A couple light taps of the right foot sends the subtle moan into a shrieking and violent scream in a fraction of a second. The whole truck shudders with a tug of the gearshift and the cab begins to echo to the whine of straight cut gearing as we taxi into position.
My adrenaline starts to pump as the throttle is stabbed with impatient tension. Then in an instant I'm thrown back into my carbon cradle as hard and as quickly as Beaulé’s foot releases the clutch. I've just adjusted my frame of mind to recognize the violence of the situation when another tug of the shifter comes at full throttle, the engines psychotic scream only deteriorates slightly for a split second before a third cog is called upon. The sound in the cab is apocalyptic with both the engine and gearbox bombarding the senses to the point of near paranoia. Then as fast and violently as it all started, 16-pistons of Alcon's finest clamp down on carbon pads throwing all my weight into my 6-point harnesses.
I am no stranger to incredible physics bending machinery, however a stint in the navigators seat of the Aldo Racing Toyota Hilux was an experience that caught me completely off guard and unprepared for the realization of just how devastating a proper Dakar Rally spec vehicle can be. And this was just in the parking lot of the teams shop. The thought of this vehicle at full chat out in the dunes, leaping through the air and sliding around gravel corners gets the hairs on the back of my neck standing up. Simply reflecting on my short time with the Toyota gives me shivers.
So, who’s the lucky owner of this magnificent specimen of performance machinery? Montreal's David Bensadoun has dreamed of the Dakar Rally ever since he witnessed the parade of competitor vehicles streak past his grand parents home just outside Paris during Christmas as a kid. Since that time he has raced Touring Cars in his off time while running the family business, Aldo Shoes, as a day job.
This is not Bensadoun’s first attempt at the Dakar, he’s already competed in the iconic event three times at the wheel of a Desert Warrior, but now he’s out to get results, and the Toyota gives them the chance to fight for a top position. Trading in the Desert Warrior, Beaulé (Bensadoun’s navigator, veteran of the Dakar on a bike, and poutine connoisseur) went to work looking for a more competitive racer. While everyone and their dog choose to go with the MINI, winners of the last three races, the little MINI didn’t have the room to fit Bensadoun’s 6 foot 5 stature. However, when Beaulé approached Overdrive racing of Belgium, they found the perfect mix of speed and space with the Hallspeed (semi-factory team based in South Africa) built Toyota Hilux Rally Raid truck. A test day was scheduled and before long, Aldo racing was the proud owner of this Toyota Hilux competition vehicle, and went straight into training, entering the Mexico 1000, where the team finished a remarkable third.
So why am I so love struck by what likely looks like a low budget built Baja pre-runner to the untrained eye. It is exactly that; competition vehicles that compete in FIA Cross Country Rallies, or rally raids, must adhere to extremely strict rules, which mean the vehicle must be based and built upon a production body. While there is very little of the original body left (A, B and C-pillars, windscreen, doors, and floor pan) this is based off a production Toyota Hilux, but one that has been taken to the absolute limit of what a Hilux is capable of in terms of outright performance. This Toyota is to a Baja racer what a Le Mans Porsche 911 RSR GT car is to a NASCAR racer.
Toyota is one of the most popular vehicles found in the Dakar Rally, besides the dominant MINI factory team. However, its what you have under the skin that wins you rallies. When it comes to all the oily bits put together to create this machine, all the big players are found in the appropriate locations, from X-Tac, to Reiger, Michelin and Alcon. The sum of all these parts equate to a vehicle that can help Bensadoun make a proper attack on the top 20 in the upcoming 2015 Dakar rally.
Lets dive a little deeper under the skin of the Toyota though. At the heart of the Hilux sits Toyota’s 5.0L normally aspirated V-8 that is more commonly found in the Lexus ISF. While MINI and the discontinued VW’s and Mitsubishi’s ran turbo diesels to make use of the obvious torque and fuel efficiency benefits, the Hallspeed tuned Toyota V-8 spits in the face of trends and marketing hype. This is a properly ferocious fire breathing race engine that makes all the right noises to strike fear into anyone who doesn’t know what Avgas is. This particular monster cranks out 340 hp and 406 lb-ft with a 36 mm restrictor crippling the amount of air the intake can suck into the combustion chamber. Power is directed to all four wheels via a hydraulic powered X-Trac sequential shift 6-speed transmission with straight cut dog gears. Rotation is sent through a lockable single speed transfer case to a massively strengthened solid rear axle and to the IFS (Independent Front Suspension), both of which house LSD’s (Limited Slip Differentials).
Twin, triple adjustable Reiger competition coilovers prop up all four corners with help from custom fabricated uprights and upper and lower A-arms. These shocks can be adjusted for both fast and slow bound as well as roll. Bringing everything to a halt is a set of Alcon 6-piston calipers clamping down on 320 mm slotted and vented rotors.
All the big brand names are impressive, but what I really love about raid trucks is all the other ingenious and unique traits these vehicles require when competing in some of the most variable terrain and hottest deserts over a two-week period. Under the truck reside two pneumatic lifts powered by a 4,500-psi carbon air tank. These will raise the vehicle when it gets stuck in deep mud or sand. Four sand tracks mounted to the rear of the cage are quickly detached for added traction. Shovels are also mounted on the rear wheel wells for obvious reasons. Behind the composite rear doors resides a 500L competition fuel tank, highlift jack, spare fluids, recovery gear and battery. A large roof vent tunnels air to several radiators that are mounted behind the cab, keeping them out of harm’s way in the event of a frontal impact. Just behind the rear axle a rack has been fabricated to carry three spare tires.
As I mentioned, open the extremely light doors and you’ll find a rather professional office where Bensadoun and Beaulé go about the business of conquering deserts. Behind the seats, each man has an onboard water supply and two intercom systems. The dash in front of the driver is a magnificent display of digital readouts, aircraft switches, buttons, warning lights, relays, fuses and breakers. Slotting into the drivers seat, the space has been designed for a giant. Bensadoun is 6-foot 5-inches, and I felt like a child sitting in his extra-large seat, struggling to peer over the steering wheel to see out the windshield. At 5-foot 10-inches, I was but a dwarf that couldn’t reach the Tilton pedal box and could just touch the Sabelt steering wheel. A digital display mounted on the carbon dash behind the steering wheel shows gear selection, oil and water temperature as well as rev lights. Next to that, the centre console is awash with sea of buttons, dials and levers that control everything from the brake bias to the pneumatic jacks.
Over on Beaulé’s side resides two of everything. Aldo Racing takes no chances in the field, so all the important bits have an auxiliary. In this case, two rally trip meters, two intercoms and two GPS units. Here you see a single GPS that was used for the Mexico 1000 rally, however in Dakar, the organizers supply their own GPS, and two are always safer than one.
Currently, the Aldo Racing Toyota is in a shipping container heading for Europe before being diverted to Argentina for the start of the 2015 Dakar Rally. The next time we see it, Aldo Racing will be in one of the most grueling motorsports event on the planet. We will be back in January to let you know how the team faired.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Engine: Lexus 5.0L V-8
Restrictor: 36mm
Power: 340 hp @ 5000rpm
Torque: 406 lb-ft @ 3300rpm
Engine: Management Pectel SQ6
TRANSMISSION
Gearbox: X-Trac 6-Speed Sequential
Transfer Case: X-Trac With Centre Lock
Front Differential: 6-plate LSD
Rear Differential: 6-plate LSD
Centre Differential: X-Trac LSD
Clutch: Twin Plate
CHASSIS
Construction: Full Tubular Frame
Wheelbase: 2900 mm
Track: 2610 mm
Overall Length: 4810 mm
Overall Width: 1995 mm
Ground Clearance: 290 mm – 330 mm
Height: 1840 mm
Mass: 1950 kg
SUSPENSION
Front: Double Wishbone
Rear: 4-Link
STEERING: Power Assisted Steering Rack
DAMPERS: Reiger Twin Damper/ Spring Per Wheel
BRAKES:
Peddle Box: Tilton 900 Series Adjustable
Front Disc: Alcon 32x320mm
Front Caliper: Alcon 6-Piston Billet Machined
Rear Disc: Alcon 32x320mm
Rear Brakes: Alcon 6-Piston Billet Machined
FUEL SYSTEM:
Tank: 500L FT3 Safety Cell
Pump: 2 x Bosch HP
COOLING SYSTEM:
Engine: Water Rear Mounted Cooler
Engine Oil: 34 Row
Gearbox: Roof Mounted Cooler
Transfer case: Roof Mounted Cooler
Front Diff: Roof Mounted Cooler
Power Steering: Roof Mounted Cooler
Fuel: Rear Mounted Cooler
INSTRUMENTATION: Cosworth Mark1V
ELECTRICS: All Military Specification
TiRES & WHEELS:
Tires: Michelin 245/80R16
Wheels: EVO Corsa 16X7
Spares: 3
JACK LIFT SYSTEM Hydraulic Jacking System