MEDIA INFORMATION
Hydrogen Small mobility & Engine technology (HySE)
47th Dakar Rally
January 3rd-17th, 2025
REVISED HYSE-X2 USES HYDROGEN POWER TO REACH AL-DUWADIMI AS TEAM PREPARES FOR THE RUN SOUTH INTO THE DAKAR’S SEA OF SAND DUNES
AL-DUWADIMI (SAUDI ARABIA) – Saturday, January 11: The revolutionary hydrogen-powered HySE-X2 headed out of the rest day in Ha’il on Saturday and mastered another tricky stage on the 47th Dakar Rally before the run south into Saudi Arabia’s vast Empty Quarter later this week.
After Friday’s day of reflexion, some rest and preparations for the run south, Japanese driver Yoshio Ikemachi and his Portuguese navigator Paulo Marques tackled a sixth stage of 95km between Ha’il and Al-Duwadimi in the Riyadh Province.
Despite a minor electrical issue before the start, which then caused a problem with the navigational equipment, the crew were able to finish the stage within the target time.
Quotes after Stage 6 on Saturday, January 11th
Yoshio Ikemachi, Driver:
“We had some trouble before the start, which delayed our start, but it didn’t affect the day’s run. We had planned to drive at full speed for the first five kilometres, but we had some issues with the GPS not working, so I worked with Paulo and we were able to drive. The truck was within visual range, so we covered the gap by following it. Thanks to that, we were able to finish in a faster time that we expected. As for fuel efficiency, the sand was heavy along the route and our efficiency didn’t improve as we expected. But we finished with the planned amount of fuel remaining. We didn’t make any course errors either, so that was good. We hope we can carry this performance into tomorrow.”
Paulo Marques, Co-driver:
“We started the second week of the race but we had a little problem before the start and the team fixed the problem in a few minutes. We started the stage with some confusion after a problem with the trip and the navigation system didn’t work well. We tried to find the right tracks in the stage and we were able to do that with the help of the other competitors. Yoshio and I helped each other as well and we did a good job to find the nice track and we finished with no problems on the car.”
Daichi Kai, Team Leader of HySE Dakar Project:
“We had a problem with the electrical system that we changed yesterday and we had to replace the parts before the start. Thanks to the frantic work of the mechanics, we were able to start, although we were late starting. The driver and co-driver worked hard and were able to finish within the target time. Thanks to teamwork, we were able to overcome the challenge, so I would like to thank the team. Other minor problems occurred during the run, so we will take measures for tomorrow.”
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 (Sunday), the Dakar caravan remains in Al-Duwadimi and Mission 1000 competitors will tackle a stage of 102km in a total day’s route of 315km
Ends