Dakar Features

The Castrol-lubricated VW Race-Touareg in action

The Castrol-lubricated Race-Touareg 2 has been designed to take on the world's most unhospitable terrain as quickly as possible, including dunes, rocks and gravel. Find out more about this amazing machine, how Castrol plays a key part and also the people who drive it, with the features below.

Dakar 2010 - Final Report

The Castrol-backed Volkswagen Motorsport team successfully defended its Dakar Rally title by dominating the 2010 running of the endurance classic taking first, second and third places.

Dakar 2010 – halfway report

The Castrol-backed Volkswagen Motorsport team completed a fantastic first half of the 2010 Dakar Rally by occupying the top three spots at the mid-event rest day of the 9,000km desert marathon in South America.

Dakar 2010 – Once was hard enough

Winning the Dakar is one the toughest tests in motorsport. Successfully defending your crown by winning it two years in a row is another story.

Dakar Rally 2009: Volkswagen wins

The Castrol-backed Volkswagen Motorsport team secured an historic victory in the 2009 Dakar Rally by taking the first win on the famous endurance event in a diesel-powered car.

Dakar Rally 2009: VW sets the pace

After nine stages of the 2009 Dakar Rally, the Castrol backed Volkswagen Motorsport Team is fast becoming the rally's dominant force, holding the top three spots with just five stages remaining.

Dakar's new challenge

First run in 1979, the two-week-long Dakar Rally has always taken place in and around North Africa. Now for the first time it leaves its traditional home to be run in the the brand new terrain and challenges of South America. Here's the low down on what you can expect from the Dakar 2009, and how the Castrol-backed Volkswagen Team has prepared for the unknown.