MEDIA INFORMATION
Hydrogen Small mobility & Engine technology (HySE)
47th Dakar Rally
January 3rd-17th, 2025
HYSE-X2 REACHES RIYADH WITH HYDROGEN POWER AS TEAM PREPARES FOR THE CHALLENGE OF SAND DUNES OVER THE FINAL DAYS
RIYADH (SAUDI ARABIA) – Monday, January 13: The revolutionary hydrogen-powered HySE-X2 delivered strong performances on both the seventh and eighth stages and remains on track for another excellent showing at the Dakar Rally, as the event reached the overnight stopover in Riyadh on Monday.
Japanese driver Yoshio Ikemachi and his Portuguese navigator Paulo Marques guided the HySE-X2 through the seventh 102km loop stage around Al-Duwadimi in a time of 1hr 47min 50sec in normal drive mode to pick up five bonus points. They were added to the 10 they earned for successfully completing the designated distance.
Stage eight ran for 75km in a route of 378km between Al-Duwadimi and Riyadh, the Saudi capital. Ikemachi was able to push a little harder on the shorter stage with fuel consumption less of a concern and good navigation by Marques delivered another strong performance, despite a broken driveshaft.
Quotes after Stage 8 on Monday, January 13th
Yoshio Ikemachi, Driver:
“Today’s stage was short, so I was able to drive without worrying too much about fuel consumption. The sand wasn’t very deep, so I was able to drive at a decent pace. After passing the section of dunes, the front driveshaft broke, but I decided to continue in three-wheel drive. In terms of time, I was able to complete the course in sports mode. Overall, I was able to drive smoothly, so I’m looking forward to taking on the dunes tomorrow.”
Paulo Marques, Co-driver:
“That was a very fast day we did the stage on a good level. We tried to go a little faster than normal and we did good navigation. We did a good stage. We could drive faster and Yoshio had a good feeling with the car. We had a good result and we are confident for the next one. We have the dunes now and we think the car will do well. We had a small section of dunes today but nothing difficult. We will see tomorrow.”
Daichi Kai, Team Leader of HySE Dakar Project:
“Stage eight delivered a great result. Since it was a relatively short stage, at 75km, we didn’t have to worry about fuel consumption and were able to go flat out. We had some trouble with some body parts along the way, but it didn’t seriously impede the driving and we finished well ahead of our target time, so it was a near perfect result. So far, we have completed all the stages, so we will keep our spirits up until the end.”
Quotes after Stage 7 on Sunday, January 12th
Yoshio Ikemachi, Driver:
“At the start of the day, I had expected the road surface to be hard all the way, but it was softer than I expected, so I drove in fourth gear the whole time. By the passage control, at 50km, I had planned to have 60% of the fuel, but I had 58%, so I decided to do an eco-run. After being overtaken by a truck, I followed it for a while, but I was running in a poor fuel economy state and changed my driving style to save fuel. I went off course with five kilometres of the stage remaining but we managed to reach the finish. I think it was a good idea to change the suspension settings last night. Stage eight will be a short stage, so I think I’ll be able to concentrate more on the driving.”
Paulo Marques, Co-driver:
“Today was a track with many navigation points. We opened the track for many kilometres after we passed the motorbikes with no problems at all. We got the right points and we followed the truck at the same speed and used a little more (fuel) than we wanted. Yoshio controlled the driving to save the fuel consumption. In the last two kilometres, it started raining and we cleaned the windscreen but there was soap in the water and we didn’t want that. I lost the track to the right. We needed to take this track to go the finish and we went straight on for one kilometre more and then turned around. It was a shame because we were on the same time as the truck until we lost, maybe, three or four minutes. Overall, we did a good stage.”
Daichi Kai, Team Leader of HySE Dakar Project:
“Stage seven was 102km long, the second longest of this Mission 1000. We had to think of a strategy based on the data we had obtained to this point. Unfortunately, the road surface was softer than expected, which caused fuel consumption to decrease, so we had to control the driving. As a result, we were pleased to be able to complete the course within the standard time. We were able to confirm that the problems we had the day before had been resolved, so we will challenge the limits of the hydrogen engine.”
Entered in the event’s Mission 1000 category for machines of the future, the HySE-X2 (Hydrogen Small mobility & Engine technology) is a revised SSV, which has been developed for competition as a prototype for the next-generation of carbon-neutral powertrain technologies.
The HySE project was established in May 2023. Honda Motor Co. Ltd., Kawasaki Motors Ltd., Suzuki Motor Corporation, Toyota Motor Corporation and Yamaha Motor Co. Ltd. started the Dakar project around September 2023 and joined the Dakar Mission 1000 category with the HySE-X1. The chassis was built by Overdrive Racing, the Belgian car preparations company.
Tomorrow (Tuesday), stage nine will see the Mission 1000 competitors leaving the Saudi capital en route to Haradh, a large oil and industrial hub in the Ahsa Governorate in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province.
Ends