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hirocimacruiser · 4 months ago

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Telefonica Dakar Rally 2004

Nissan's second year in the Dakar Rally was a "challenge to return." Led by Ari Vatanen (Finland), a four-time Dakar Rally winner, the team also added Giniel de Villiers (South Africa) and Colin McRae (Great Britain), a top athlete in the World Rally Championship (WRC), and pushed the Nissan pickup to its limits. Vatanen achieved 50 wins in the Dakar Rally's SS (special stage). Both de Villiers and McRae completed the race, and Nissan's challenge continued into 2005.

Nissan's Dakar project enters its second year

Former WRC champion McRae was welcomed to the team. This showed that this year's rally was a challenge in terms of "speed". In addition, there was the stable Vatanen, Loupe, and the rising star De Villiers. In order to develop Japanese drivers, Yoshio Ikemachi and Atsushi Mitsuhashi were welcomed from the two-wheel team and competed in the T1 (production car) class. Yves Roubaix (France, Nissan Pickup) was forced to withdraw for the first time due to electrical problems.

Although there was unexpected trouble that forced them to retire on the 1st, the efforts of each team member to fulfill their assigned role to the best of their ability were inspiring. Just as the nightmare of the desert and the joy of reaching the finish line at Lac Rose seemed to be fading away, McRae, who had competed in the Dakar Rally for the first time and had many hardships, spoke again about the following.

"I will challenge the Dakar again next year with a Nissan Pickup.

This year's rally gave me confidence. I can win the Dakar with Nissan! I believe that without a doubt.

I’m here.”

Nissan Works' 2004 Dakar Rally started on an exciting note. In the European stage at Castellon (Spain), De Villier took the top time in the 9km 35 (race section), demonstrating his speed to the passionate Spanish fans. After crossing the Straits of Gibraltar, in the first African stage, Vatanen, who has won the Dakar Rally four times, achieved his long-cherished dream of winning 50 special stage races in total. In his second year back in the desert with Nissan, De Villier set a new personal record.

Nissan Pickup Runs Hot as Records are Breaking

"I had wanted to achieve this feat in the Dakar, but I'm happy to achieve my 50th victory at the start of the African stage."

Vatanen is, of course, the most successful driver in the Dakar Rally. Next is F1 and Le Mans winner Jacky Ickx (Belgium), who has 29 wins. The record he achieved in a Nissan Pickup is unlikely to be broken anytime soon.

Since Nissan decided to challenge the Dakar Rally in 2003, Ari Vatanen has become a symbol of Nissan. He has always been a figure of attention, and still shows top-class driving. In 2004, Colin McRae's participation in the Dakar Rally increased the attention of the British media. The Nissan Pick Up attracted attention from all over the world. The trio of Vatanen, McRae, and de Villiers fought a high-speed battle in the desert against Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution, BMW X5, Volkswagen Race Touareg, and Schlesser Buggy. They attacked boldly. Vatanen lost a lot of time after getting splashed while crossing a river in Morocco, but the next day he started from 90th place and finished 7th in the stage. He overtook more than 80 slower cars with the speed of a veteran to complete the stage.

PIC CAPTIONS opening page

Taking advantage of last year's success, the Nissan team's top-flight teammate, G. de Villiers, took the lead on the 7th. This South African challenger held off the unreasonable Bush and drove the car to the finish line.

Ikemachi won his class in his first attempt at a four-wheeled vehicle. He brought a ray of hope to the Nissan team, who were generally forced to make difficult decisions. He demonstrated the durability of the machine and the effectiveness of the training program. And he showed Ikemachi's own potential.

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It surprised everyone.

McRae also mastered the dune running and became a "Peterran"

"There were times when we were catching up with Sel and Masuoka," he said. But the "three days of hell" were about to begin for the Nissan Works team. After troubles occurred in succession in the eighth and ninth stages, Vatanen and McRae were still stuck in the desert by the evening of the 9th. The team was worried. If things continued like this, both would have to retire. However, the rally was being watched by a gang of bandits (the Malian anti-government group).

The team was warned by intelligence sources that the Mobuchi stage was likely to be occupied by the French army, and decided to move on to the next stage via Bamako. It's not over yet. The deadline is 6pm on the 12th, the rest day.

At the time the announcement was made, the two Nissan Pick Ups, excluding de Villiers, were still stranded in the desert.

Two Nissan cars, two big names in particular, won

Whether or not you can wear it within the time limit. That is the maximum for rest days.

It became a hot topic. Two days passed, and the 12th came.

The team believed in them and waited patiently. McRae arrived around 3pm, and Vatanen arrived after 4pm, welcomed by the press as if they had won. Their rally wasn't over yet. The two started the next morning without a rest day. However... Vatanen was driving too hard and was bounced over a gap and crashed into a tree. He was finally out of the race.

McRae, who remained, never gave up on his "challenge for speed" until the very end, setting the fastest time on the final day.

He was able to demonstrate his ability.

Speed in the Moroccan desert, perseverance, teamwork and excitement from Mali to Burkina Faso. The second year of the Dakar has taught us many things. And it has fired up our enthusiasm for the next step. Nissan's challenge in the desert continues.

PIC CAPTIONS 2nd page

What did former WRC champion C. McRae think of the Dakar Rally? Despite struggling with problems, he quickly adapted to the machine and the environment, and finished in 20th place.

The team staff supported the intense race from behind the scenes. Including the support truck, more than 60 crew members assisted the driver with a perfect backup system.

The 2004 car has undergone significant evolution, including in terms of aerodynamics. Japan's NISMO also assisted in its development, and the car is equipped with a 3.5-liter V6 VQ35 engine, and its appearance racing through the sand dunes is truly that of a "desert GT car."

For the four-time champion desert hero, his seventh place finish last year was just the beginning. But just as he was coming off a record 50 Special Stage wins, this disappointing result came.

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NISSAN DAKAR RALLY CHALLENGE

Japanese rookie entry record

● Yoshio Ikemachi

A patient drive leads to class victory

Born in 1971, he is 32 years old. In the 2000 motorcycle race, he achieved the highest ranking of any Japanese rider, finishing 10th overall. He made his first appearance in the T1 class with a Nissan Patrol (known as the Safari in Japan) and led the team to a splendid victory.

Rather than being happy about winning the class,

I felt like I had completed the race. The commercially available T1 class Patrol (known as the Safari in Japan) that I drove was durable but heavy, and the regulations required a small intake restrictor, so it was a tough situation. I had to endure throughout the race. Supporting the Nissan team's T2 machine, a higher class, was also an important part of my job, so I aimed to finish the race trouble-free and come third in the class. I could have actually driven faster, but I had to endure being overtaken and was patient even when there was a car a little slower than me in front of me.

But on a rest day, I was suddenly told, "I'm going to give you another task. Aim to win."

This was my first time in the Paris-Dakar Rally on a four-wheeled vehicle, and I learned that mental strength is more important with four-wheeled vehicles than with two-wheeled vehicles. I was taught a lot by an experienced navigator, and we started out as teacher and student relationships, but once we were able to communicate well, I was able to concentrate on driving.

To me, the navigator was like a reliable older brother.

Of course, my goal is not to be satisfied with winning the T1 class, but to compete in the T2 class and achieve good results. I want to participate in the actual race again as soon as possible and try to improve myself again.

I would like to test the power of the T2

Jun Mitsuhashi: I found possibilities in the midst of hardships

Born in 1970, he is 33 years old. With the experience of participating in the Dakar Rally for three consecutive years, he participated in his first four-wheeled vehicle race in a Nissan Pathfinder (known as the Terrano in Japan). Although he was confused by the difference with two-wheeled vehicles, he showed outstanding speed in every scene.

The two-wheeled race was held on an individual basis, but

The team is incomparably larger.

Especially the Dossudo Chi that I joined.

The team (France) was the largest team participating in the Rally-Dakar, so I really felt that. My impression of my first time participating in a four-wheeled vehicle was that I had to use my brain a lot while driving. My mind was always working at full speed while driving. Since I was always with the navigator in the car, it felt strange to say the least in the pre-drive tests. It may sound strange, but it felt like two people were in the same bathroom. But as I got used to it and our communication improved, I was able to look at the road in front of me and concentrate only on driving fast. In the end, the clutch wouldn't disengage before I crossed the sand dunes, and I couldn't change gears and had to retire. Since I didn't finish the race, this year's Rally-Dakar ended in an incomplete way for me. Still, I was able to drive as I had aimed and improve my position, and I also gained some benefits, such as being able to drive on an equal footing with the top group on the high-speed stages in Morocco.

I was able to test all of my strategies in real combat.

I wanted to make a move in the next marathon stage, but I flipped my car over and damaged the radiator, so I couldn't run as I wanted. My goal is to win the overall championship, so I want to practice with a fast T2 class car soon.

#paris Dakar #nissan patrol #nissan safari #nissan terrano #nissan pathfinder #colin mcrae

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