The revolutionary hydrogen-powered HySE-X2 has made an impressive start to its second Dakar Rally campaign in the Mission 1000 category for machines of the future.
The HySE (Hydrogen Small mobility & Engine technology) has entered a revised SSV in the Dakar’s Mission 1000 section, which was introduced last year as part of the Dakar Future Programme to encourage manufacturers to develop next-generation carbon-neutral powertrain technologies.
For 2025, Japanese driver Yoshio Ikemachi has teamed up with Portuguese navigator Paulo Marques to crew the HySE-X2. Ikemachi finished 10th overall in the motorcycle category at the 2000 Dakar Rally and competed in the veteran class last year, finishing 60th overall, in his eighth Dakar. Marques first tackled the Dakar in 1997 and finished eighth on a motorcycle, the year the duo met and became friends for the first time.
They safely negotiated the 28.92km Prologue stage, near Bisha, on Friday (January 3rd), scoring the permitted 10 points for completing the day’s distance and an additional five for finishing the day in normal drive mode.
The HySE-X2 then tackled the challenging opening special stage of 93km that looped through the deserts around the event’s start camp at Bisha on Saturday, with the day’s route also including a pair of non-competitive road liaison sections of 130km and 124km. They encountered no issues after another strong performance.
Quotes after Stage 1 on Saturday, January 4th
Yoshio Ikemachi, Driver:
“Today’s stage was 93km, so I tried to adjust the fuel economy as much as possible. I also changed fourth, fifth and sixth gears depending on the location, which I think worked quite well for fuel economy. I also checked the tank temperature throughout the race and it was good that it dropped more slowly in the second half.
“There was a lot of sand, so fuel was consumed no matter what, so I drove while thinking about whether to switch to four-wheel drive or change gears. I feel like the engine could be faster, but today I focused on fuel economy with the goal of finishing the stage. I set a goal of leaving 40% fuel at the CP (passage control) and it worked out just as I intended, so I was able to finish the stage with plenty of time to spare.”
Paulo Marques, Co-driver:
“We did a good job. The car was good, no problem. In the sand, there were no problems. We didn’t push.”
Daichi Kai, Team Leader of HySE Dakar Project:
“We would like to thank our mechanics for working hard until yesterday, despite issues that are unique to the properties of hydrogen. Today’s run was characterised as a test, but we are relieved that it was completed without any problems. We will thoroughly analyse the data we obtained and prepare the car for tomorrow’s stage.
“Today’s run was our first long one after we refined the engine settings, so it was a challenging day for us. We’d like to thank our driver and co-driver for bringing us valuable data safely all the way to the finish line.”
Quotes after the Prologue stage on Friday, January 3rd
Yoshio Ikemachi, Driver:
“The car is very good. We did some nice driving. We will focus on reaching the finish every day. We really enjoyed the stage.”
The HySE project was established in May 2023. Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, Toyota and Yamaha started the Dakar project and joined the Dakar Mission 1000 category with the HySE-X1.
It is a joint venture between Kawasaki Motors Ltd., Suzuki Motor Corporation, Honda Motor Co. Ltd., Yamaha Motor Co. Ltd., Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd., Toyota Motor Corporation and DENSO Corporation. The chassis is built by Overdrive Racing, the Belgian car preparations company.
The HySE-X2 called upon all the feedback gained from the inaugural HySE-X1 project in 2024 with ongoing development work carried out on the liquid-cooled, four-stroke, four-cylinder supercharged 998cc engine and the chassis to improve fuel consumption in the mid-range and increase the fuel capacity with the addition of a fourth hydrogen tank for an additional 7.5kg of hydrogen. Refuelling and maintenance is being carried out on the Dakar Rally by Overdrive Racing.
Sunday, marks the start of a 48-hour Marathon stage that takes competitors from Bisha into the remote Saudi Arabian desert. Part one of the stage for the Mission 1000 entrants includes a special stage of 86km in a day’s route of 464km.
After a night camped out under the stars, the two-part stage concludes with a competitive section of 109km in a second day’s route of 189km before the return to the base camp in Bisha.
Before the finish of the world’s most demanding off-road rally in the remote Saudi Arabian desert outpost town of Shubaytah on January 17th, Mission 1000 competitors will tackle 1,162 competitive kilometres in a route of 4,811km.
