A one-two finish for the Iveco “PowerStar” trucks at the 2026 Dakar: first and second place. A success made possible by the “Cursor 13” engines specifically developed by Fpt starting from their production versions. The racing units deliver more than 1,000 horsepower and, despite their increased performance, have confirmed the reliability and robustness for which they are renowned
The Dakar is not just a race. It is an undertaking from another era, where men and machines are subjected to extreme temperatures, move across the most treacherous terrain and cover stages of more than 800 kilometers per day. In essence, it is a challenge where the primary goal is not to win, but simply to reach the finish line.
In such a context, the real difference is made by the hearts involved: those of the drivers on one side and those of the vehicles—the engines—on the other. The latter must not only deliver performance far beyond what they were originally designed for, but must also guarantee superior levels of reliability and durability, qualities that have long been associated with the Fpt “Cursor 13” engines.
These are the very engines that this year occupied the two highest steps of the podium in the truck category, powering the Iveco “PowerStar” trucks entered by the Dutch de Rooy team. A historic one-two finish that reconfirmed absolute technological leadership—further demonstrated by the fact that 20 of the 46 trucks entered were equipped with Fpt engines, all derived from standard production units designed for heavy-duty on- and off-road applications.
In the case of the class-winning six-cylinder “Cursor 13”, the displacement of 12.88 liters was retained, achieved through a 135-millimeter bore and 150-millimeter stroke, and the four-valve-per-cylinder valvetrain assisted by a Twin Scroll turbocharger was also left unchanged. However, thanks to a specific recalibration of the engine mapping, the output reaches 1,000 horsepower, with a declared peak torque exceeding 5,000 newton-meters.
These figures place the engine at the very top of its category, delivering a specific output of nearly 80 horsepower per liter and a specific torque of around 390 newton-meters per liter. Performance that is paired with a dry weight of approximately 1,150 kilograms, resulting in a power-to-weight ratio close to one kilogram per horsepower and a power density approaching 650 horsepower per cubic meter of volume.
Since the engines had to operate for hours at full load under critical cooling conditions—with high ambient temperatures and air filled with fine dust—thermal management represented one of the most important challenges for Fpt engineers. The solution relied on oversized radiators, optimized airflow, and continuous monitoring of operating temperatures in order to keep under control the thermal stresses affecting cylinder heads, pistons and the turbocharging system.
The Twin Scroll turbocharger, which separates the exhaust gas flows coming from paired cylinders, proved strategic in improving engine response during transient conditions, ensuring stable boost pressure even during the rapid load variations typical of driving on dunes.
In such situations, the high torque available across a wide rev range also proved extremely valuable, allowing drivers to modulate traction without frequent gear changes—thereby reducing stress on the transmission and other mechanical components.
In this context, power delivery smoothness and throttle response speed proved just as decisive as the engine’s absolute power output. The result was achieved through specific ECU calibrations, dedicated injection tuning, and a different turbocharging management strategy compared with road-going versions.
As mentioned earlier, these important modifications increased the output from the approximately 700 horsepower of the commercial engines to over 1,000 horsepower. However, the goal of the transformation from production to racing specification was not only to maximize power, but also to ensure consistent performance throughout the more than 5,000 kilometers of special stages that make up the race.
In this respect, the intrinsic robustness of the “Cursor” engines, originally designed for heavy industrial applications, played a crucial role. For the Dakar they were further revised in their mounting systems to withstand the constant mechanical shocks caused by jumps, landings and vibrations.
The lubrication systems were also modified to guarantee proper oil pickup even under steep inclinations and strong lateral accelerations, while the air filtration system was reinforced to prevent dust from entering the intake ducts.
Ultimately, the podium sweep by trucks powered by Fpt engines was not the result of a lucky exploit, but rather the outcome of an industrial platform capable of delivering extreme performance without betraying the expectations of drivers and engineers.
Customer Service in the Spotlight
The success of the Iveco “PowerStar” trucks and their Fpt “Cursor 13” engines was also greatly supported by Fpt Customer Service, which monitored the engines’ operating conditions every day thanks to integrated telemetry and connectivity systems.
Each truck was equipped with the same telematics kit that Fpt provides to customers across a wide range of application segments. The system is capable of collecting all the key data related to engine operation and transmitting it to a Control Room located in Turin.
Data from the vehicles competing in the Dakar also flowed into this facility, making it possible to analyze performance at the end of each stage and determine whether any interventions were necessary to maintain engine setup and performance.
This approach brings into the racing world the experience Fpt has gained from hundreds of thousands of engines operating daily, transforming technical support into a kind of “virtual mechanic” capable of reducing downtime while maximizing efficiency and productivity.
