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MAN says its involvement in motor sports allows it to rigorously test new technology prior to putting it into production for road-going trucks.

Stephan Holzman, senior vice president of MAN's central testing division, cites the Dakar Rally as a prime example. "A few thousand kilometres of driving in these conditions has the same affect of driving hundreds of thousands of kilometres on normal roads," he tells Motor Transport. Holzman explains that the 9,000km endurance race is a perfect  place to trial new cab suspension components. "If it can withstand these harsh conditions then normal roads are no problem," he says. With this in mind the company has used its involvement in the race for developing its new range of trucks for the Indian market.

AJ van Genugten, the director of Dutch suspension specialist Tridec, also uses his involvement in the race for the purpose of R&D. He is jointly entering two of the 24 MAN trucks in next year's race, and says several new components will be tested. He says: "Not only is it a great opportunity to test new products, but it is great experience for our engineers."

Holzman says truck racing is another good way to test equipment. He explains that both disc brakes and the D28 four-valve engine were first tested on the race track. "It's ideal as one-hour of racing is the same as driving for 200,000km on the road," he says.