Tests like the prestigious Paris–Dakar are an ideal proving ground for lubricant companies, and Repsol entered into the Off–Road World Championship with Nissan and the Seat Toledo Maraton to take on the challenge.
The Paris–Dakar Rally was devised in 1978 by Thierry Sabine, and would rise to become one of the most prestigious contests in motorsport.
A small–scale adventure became a mecca for many, as veteran ex –drivers from all specialties went up against one another and the tough terrain.
The Nissan team had become a regular in such races, taking on the strongest teams with their Diesel Patrol cars. In 1988, at the Baja Montesblancos and in the Pharoah Rally, the first fuel–powered Nissan Patrol –a 4.2 litre, 272HP vehicle– emerged, with the aim of fighting for the title at the 1989 Paris–Dakar.
The route through the deserts of Tunisia and Libia pushed the new car to the limit, as Miguel Prieto, Jorge Babler, Hansi Babler and Porcar all took on the test. Babler, a former Spanish Rally champion, rolled his Patrol and Porcar broke his engine. Prieto was trapped on a river crossing, leading to co–driver Manuel Juncosa having to push his vehicle, subsequently passing out from exhaust fumes and being evacuated by medics.
The Nissan team returned at the Baja Aragon and Pharoah Rally. In Spain, Prieto was fighting against the Peugeot 405 Turbo 16 of Ari Vatanen and Jackie Ickx and the Mitsubishi of Jean Pierre Lartigue at the start, but ran out of fuel 500 metres from the finish and would place eighth. Porcar and Babler rounded off the top ten. In Egypt, Prieto was relegated down the order from fourth to 23rd after a series of punctures, but was able to come back to place fourth. Porcar would finish sixth.
Nissan-Repsol also took the first Spanish Raids Cup with wins for Miguel Prieto at V Centenario, Alta Alcarria and Transespaña, ahead of Suzuki factory driver Jose Maria Sole and Volkswagen man Jose Maria Servia.
In 1990 there was a changing of the guard from Peugot to Citroën. The former won at the Paris–Dakar, but would lose out at the Baja Aragon when Ari Vatanen dominated with his ZX Gran Raid. The use of a single shock in the Patrol caused problems for Nissan–Repsol in Africa, and only the dedication of the drivers would see Porcar place sixth and Prieto thirteenth.
The Spanish outfit would only return for the two sprint races which closed the Raids World Cup, in Spain and Portugal. At the latter, only a puncture would deny Prieto the victory –eventually taken by Raoul Raymondis and his Range Rover. A broken fuel tank lost Porcar more than an hour.
In the Spanish Raids Cup things went awry for Prieto in the opening event, the Montes de Cuenca, when a debatable penalty dropped him down to fourth. At the Alta Alcarria, the Nissan driver was disqualified for non–sporting reasons.
The Nissan–Repsol team returned to the Paris–Dakar in 1991, but the death of a Citroën team member in Mali at the hands of soldiers and the disqualification of Prieto for alleged use of asphalt meant the retirement of the team from the competition. At the Baja Aragon, Prieto and Porcar finished second and third, respectively.
The event moved north in 1992, for the Paris–Cape Town rally, which featured numerous political problems for the organisers and participants. Nissan–Repsol placed eleventh, thanks to the Jordi Torra–Francesc Selga duo, whilst Porcar took 22nd after an early gearbox issue.
The absence of the Baja Aragon meant that the Spanish team would concentrate on the national Raids championship events. The battle focused on the Lada Samara with a Porsche engine of Salvador Servia and the Nissan Patrols of Jordi Torra and Ramon Vila. Three second places for Torra, behind Servia –winner of five races– set the tone for the series, in which the Repsol man waited on any mistake from his rival. A double puncture in the Alta Alcarria and a transmission failure at La Carolina put paid to that idea. Jordi Torra and Ramon Vila would end up on the overall podium.
Nissan’s entry in the newly created Spanish Super Touring Championship mean tan abandonment of Off–Road competition. SEAT came in to compete for the first time since 1983, with the Ibiza Bimotor. Their team members had previously been present with VW Golf GTI 16 V and Audi Coupe Quattro machinery since the start of the decade. The new SEAT Toledo, developed in Martorell under the guidance of the German Manufacturer, would inherit traits of the Audi which won the Spanish cup in 1990 and 1991. The new SEAT Toledo was notable for its almost 30cm long suspension, capable of absorbing any shock.
The car’s debut came at the Baja Portugal, where in 1993 Jose Maria Servia took the fourth fastest time, behind the unbeatable Citroën ZX Gran Raid cars. A fuel tank problem left him without the chance of victory.
The SEAT team brought in Cyril Neveu for the Baja Aragón, and the Frenchman finished eighth. Servia was tenth after a fight for third, but broke his suspension against a rock late on. The Greek Rally ended in a double for SEAT, thanks to Serviá and Antoni Rius in some difficult winter conditions.
In 1994, SEAT repeated their participation. Ex–Mitsubishi driver Erwin Weber was drafted in, and took second in the Baja Portugal after problems for Citroën driver Timo Salonen, whilst Jose Maria Servia retired after his turbo broke when within touching distance of his rivals. At the Baja Aragon, Weber and Serviá were third and fourth, respectively.
