Dakar Rally Mission 1000 – category for testing carbon neutral technologies during racing – Bike. This new initiative invites participants in Bike, Car, and Truck categories to put their respective alternative fueled vehicles through the rigors of competing in Dakar Rally, on separate routes to the main protagonists, clocking 100km sections to total of 1,000kms from start to finish.
Founded on the Dakar Future programme in 2021, whereby set goals were to be realized that Dakar Rally would run on carbon-neutral fuels by 2030, Mission 1000 has provided real-time for driver’s, co-driver’s, Teams, and manufacturer’s to trial, monitor, and assess the performance of their vehicles in 3 classes: 100% electric, 100% H2, and Hybrid.
A total of 11 entrants will generate information and greater understanding on how their modus-operandi will meet expectations of performance from the start at AlUla on January 5, completing 10 Stages from 12, finishing the endurance test on January 19. Assessment criteria has been set via time of completing each section, with points awarded in Eco, Normal, and Sport mode categories. If a vehicle finishes below the bench-mark time, they receive zero points, within 5 percent of time allowed – 5 points, and faster than ten percent of bench-mark time, they receive 10 points.
The vanguard entrants in 100% electric bike category herald from Italy: Tacita Formula Corso, China: Leopard Factory Racing, and France: Green Power Race. Fielding 2 rider’s on board Tacita Discanto bikes: #1000 Sylvain Espinasse and team-rider #1001 Oscar Polli have set sights on completing the entire Dakar route, supported by the Team’s T-station trailer which will act as a mobile charging unit and storage for batteries.
The 3 rider line-up of #1002 Willy Jobard, #1003 Wenmin Su, and #1004 Gang Jun Cai – CEO of Arctic Leopard – will be competing in Mission 1000 on the two-year old company’s Cheetah E-XE880 – an enduro bike which has been adapted to the demands of Rally-Raid. Having been buoyed by Willy Jobard’s motivation to extend his Dakar participation on a hybrid bike in 2010, and 2021, the trio will utilize the race as a laboratory for further development of the all-electric model.
As Jack Cai explains: ‘the short term goal is to finish Dakar 2024 with the long-term objectives in mind to replace fuel powered bikes with electric. The specs of the Cheetah E-XE880 of:108kgs in weight, 190kms endurance, 125km/h speed, 50HP, and 880nm torque, combined with zero carbon emissions contains all the necessary elements for revolutionizing the motorsport industry’.
Green Power Race have sole rider: # 1005 Francisco Pallas competing in his 8th Dakar, for Team Dakar Eco Galicia. Acknowledging the challenges ahead, the main objective will be to finish Mission 1000, bearing in mind the future goal will be to compete in Dakar Rally Bike category – completing all 12 Stages on 100% electric powered bike. Notwithstanding the main difference of weight between fossil fuel and alternative powered bikes, Fran and the Team remain the protagonists to achieve Dakar Rally 2023 carbon-neutral goals, sooner rather than later.
Dakar Rally January 5 – 19. Header photo: Mission 1000 Image Dakar Rally/ASO
Words: Sharon Cox.
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