In the world of desert rallies, few races can compare to the prestige the Dakar Rally offers its contestants.  The 16 day, 5,500 mile course is one of the most difficult races in the world.

This year, the Dakar Rally will showcase a new team entry into the event - the "Kwikpower Mercedes-Benz Team.  Leading the way for Kwikpower is former DTM driver Ellen Lohr, accompanied by Bavarian co-pilot Detlef Ruf.  The two will pilot a custom prototype based on the ML, dubbed the ML 350 Evo II, built by German-based ORC Sportservice.

According to Lohr, "For us as a new team, it's the goal to make it to the finish in our maiden Dakar Rally appearance and to gain a lot of experience.  To achieve this goal, we have created professional preconditions, particularly thanks to the major Mercedes-Benz support in the service area. But it's not for nothing that the Dakar is called the toughest rally of the world – usually, less than 50 percent of the field makes it to the finish."

As Lohr pointed out, a crucial element to completing the race is having the strength of your team behind you.  To help in the difficult journey, Mercedes has lent support by providing the team with a uniquely-equipped service fleet, custom designed for use in the harsh conditions. 

To begin with, there's the Mercedes U 400 Unimog, converted into a desert-ready racing truck.  A few custom modifications include racing suspension, roll-cage, bucket seats, and safety harnesses.  The purpose of the Unimog along with its three passenger crew is to be on site as fast as possible, should the ML suffer any problems during one of the rallies' 15 stages.

In addition to the Unimog, a Mercedes Actros 3354 6x6 along with ORC team designer Andreas Lennartz and two mechanics will act as a rolling spare-parts depot, located at the official service spots between the stages.

Next in the team's fleet is a Mercedes Viano 4MATIC, which carries team principal Hans-Erwin Baur and team member/physiotherapist Balbir Singh; and finally, bringing up the rear, another M-Class.

Although this marks the first year for the Kwikpower Mercedes-Benz team, this is actually Ellen Lohr's second year competing in the event.  Last year, the 40 year-old entered the event with an independent buggy, but she was forced to retire after day four, due to a technical failure.  According to Lohr, "At that time, I realised that a professional service team is particularly vital when it comes to marathon racing. It's just fantastic that we succeeded in getting Mercedes-Benz aboard, for this area."

To find out how the race will play out, stay tuned - the Dakar Rally starts on December 28th in Lisbon, Portugal, and wraps up on January 15th in Dakar, Senegal. We'll keep you posted once the race begins.

For more info on the Kwikpower Mercedes Team and the Dakar Rally, you can check out the full story by clicking here.