Dedo unveils an innovative car for rally racing

Dedo, a rally driver from Teramo (Abruzzo region, Italy), unveiled the Peugeot 208 N5 Step 2 at the headquarters of Pieffe Auto. The competition car for rally racing was developed by De Dominicis, who is also an engineer and entrepreneur through his company, Dedo Engineering. The vehicle was built by Tedak in Reggio Emilia with contributions from several local companies, including International Pur Components, Pieffe Auto, Steelte, and Oslv Italia from Roseto degli Abruzzi.

The project recently received prestigious recognition from Confindustria, winning the "Champion 2024" award at the Festival of Innovation.

"All competition vehicles," explains Dedo, "have an extremely fast obsolescence rate because new evolutions and models are constantly being released. This is a clear challenge, as these are very expensive products that become obsolete within two or three years. Our idea, instead, was to introduce a car to the market with interchangeable mechanical components across different car models. This dramatically reduces the investment needed to compete at high levels. Furthermore, standardizing the mechanical parts and minimizing the use of spare parts significantly reduces the environmental impact—an increasingly appreciated aspect in today's world."

In February, the N5 Step 2 will be homologated by the Italian Automobile Federation, and from March, the car will be eligible to compete in the 2025 season.

In recent months, the car served as a course-opening vehicle at the Rally Legend in San Marino, an international event attended by over 100,000 spectators. It received widespread acclaim from drivers, mechanics, and racing teams worldwide.

"During extensive testing," Dedo concludes, "we observed the car’s exceptional reliability. To obtain authoritative and objective feedback, we consulted Andrea Crugnola, a four-time Italian champion and currently the strongest driver in Italy. Andrea fell in love with this project and strongly believes in it. His enthusiasm has motivated us, and we are aiming for even greater achievements."