Prodrive, the British motorsports and engineering group will partner with Bahrain’s sovereign wealth fund Mumtalakat forming Prodrive International to compete in Dakar 2021.

The legendary engineering group Prodrive, known for its run of three straight WRC driver’s titles between 1995 and 1997 with the Subaru world rally team, will build two works cars, competing in the T1 class while producing other customer cars, and offering a range of performance parts and body kits as accessories for clients.

Founder & Chairman of Prodrive David Richards CBE said “It has been a long-held ambition of mine and Prodrive to compete in the Dakar Rally… Dakar is a new and challenging project for Prodrive, but one that I and the whole team in Banbury are relishing”.

Commenting on the partnership, HE Khalid Al Rumaihi, Mumtalakat CEO, said, ‘Prodrive has participated in numerous regional and international motorsports events throughout its 30+ years of operation, winning six FIA World Rally Championships, five Le Mans titles and seven Middle East Rally Championships. We’re very proud of the Rally’s move to the region and in partnering with Prodrive, we expand Bahrain’s significant motorsport heritage, having established the Bahrain International Circuit to host Formula One in the Middle East for the first time in 2004.’

Mumtalakat, Bahrain sponsored the winning car in this year’s inaugural Dakar Rally in the Middle East, which opened in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia and concluded in the country’s capital, Riyadh. With the establishment of Prodrive International, Bahrain will compete in 2021 with its own team.