The Dakar Future Mission 1000, the competition in which the most innovative technologies linked to decarbonisation are called to express themselves in a parallel challenge, has been underway for a few days. Three manufacturers are involved in the motorcycle category: Tacita, Arctic Leopard and Green Power Race.
The technological dimension is a natural part of the Dakar Future Mission 1000. Its unusual characteristics make it an unparalleled technological laboratory, which has regularly served as a testbed for new powertrains and safety devices. It is with this in mind that the Dakar Future program has allowed hybrid-powered cars to make their appearance for the first time and reach the performance of the best teams. Today, new avenues are opening up for technological experiments capable of transforming the rally-raids; the pioneering spirit of the Dakar is at the center of the “Mission 1000” project.
While manufacturers like Audi strive for victory with hybrid cars and others continue to expand their use of synthetic fuels, 2030 remains the deadline for the widespread use of alternative energy at the Dakar. The Mission 1000 challenge acts as a laboratory for this ambitious project. The most innovative decarbonisation technologies, fully electric / fully hydrogen / hybrid technology, are called to express themselves in a parallel challenge. Every day, the registered vehicles will tackle a route of around one hundred kilometres, on the edge of the official route but with similar difficulties. Over a total route of 1.000 km, participants can find out which technical options are worth developing in the future. The ten vehicles that undertook this historic first made their first appearance at the start of the Al Ula prologue. For the motorcycle category, six riders and three manufacturers are involved in the 2024 edition: Tacita, Arctic Leopard and Green Power Race. The latter includes Elias, Epaddock's Spanish collaborator.
Green Power Race Team
The Green Power Race Team project originates in Barcelona and the bike was designed specifically for rallies. The man behind the wheel of this fully electric motorbike is Fran Gómez Pallas, a Galician rider born in Venezuela 53 years ago and who arrived at his eighth Dakar to face a unique challenge: Mission 1000.
“At Wattpower Racing, our goal is to showcase a variety of vehicles powered by alternative energy sources in place of fossil fuels. In Mission 1000 we will conduct regularity tests and evaluate various parameters to compare the different proposals. Even though this is not an official race, there will still be a sense of competition, as we will compete against other prototypes with different approaches and configurations. It will be fascinating to see how our vehicle measures up to others."
The motorbike designed by Green Power Race is equipped with an internal permanent magnet motor, with a nominal power of 20 kW (maximum of 50 kW) from 6000 rpm. The 21kwh battery (maximum discharge limited to 450A, voltage of 116V) is air-cooled and is shaped like a petrol tank. The weight is 190 kg and the maximum speed is 150 km/h. The frame, swingarm and other structural elements are all made of titanium. If you see an exhaust under the tail of the motorbike, don't worry, it's the rider's water bottle!
Arctic Leopard
Jack Cai, CEO of Arctic Leopard, debuts a high-performance electric offroad motorcycle at the 2024 Dakar. French veteran Willy Jobard has contacted Jack for a collaboration in the Dakar Future Mission 1000 challenge. Willy, Jack and his compatriot Wenmin Su are riding three Cheetah E-XE880s, an electric motorcycle from Jack's company. Jack was inspired by the Dakar Future Mission 1000 challenge and hopes to revolutionize the industry with zero-emission vehicles.
Jack Cai: “I created the Arctic Leopard Company to build my ideal offroad motorcycle. And the best way to test a high-performance motorcycle is by racing, because only a good racing vehicle can achieve good results. The Dakar is the biggest event in motorsport. For a company founded only two years ago, participating in the Dakar Mission 1000 challenge is a great opportunity."
Tacita
Tacita participates in this edition of the race with its Tacita Formula Corsa team and two riders, the Frenchman Sylvain Espinasse and the Italian Oscar Polli. The team is made up of mechanical technicians and experts in electrical and electronic systems. In addition to Pierpaolo Rigo and Luca Oddo, president and CEO of Tacita, respectively, the team also includes Luca Calafati, Luca Sardo, Nicolas Chiax, Franck Boulisset and Nico Marchesi. Together, they are ready to compete with two bikes and show their talent in the Dakar 1000.
Equipped with a dedicated frame and battery pack distribution for better weight balance, these bikes weigh 180 kg and can reach a top speed deliberately limited to 150 km/h.
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