Case Study: Prodrive achieves a record 5th-place Dakar Rally finish with MakerBot METHOD mobile 3D printing

Thriving in the Most Grueling Desert Race in the World With the Help of 3d Printers

Prodrive, competing as Bahrain Raid Xtreme (BRX) in the 2021 Dakar Rally, faced a compressed development timeline after COVID-19 lockdowns forced factory closures and squeezed a year’s work into nine months. To accelerate prototyping and on‑site repairs, Prodrive added MakerBot’s METHOD X industrial 3D printer (two units) to its toolkit, enabling rapid, high‑temperature carbon fiber nylon parts when traditional manufacturing resources were stretched.

MakerBot’s METHOD X allowed Prodrive to print more than 30 parts both in the UK workshop and from a support truck in the desert—examples include a suspension position sensor mount produced in about 1.5 hours and lightweight nozzle mounts—reducing cost, weight and lead time versus aluminum fabrication. The rapid iteration and heat‑resistant nylon carbon fiber parts improved vehicle performance and field serviceability, helping BRX achieve a record highest finish for a newcomer (5th overall) at the Dakar Rally.

Prodrive

Paul Doe

Chief Engineer