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| For immediate publication |
| 2004.10.21 |
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Dakar Rally Young Driver Training Program
Yoshio Ikemachi and Jun Mitsuhashi Demonstrate Results of Training
October 19, Participation Test-Ride at Mobility Park
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Nissan Motor Corporation and NISMO held a participation test-ride event at the Mobility Park off-road course in Izu on October 19 with Yoshio Ikemachi and Jun Mitsuhashi, the members of the Dakar Rally Young Driver Training Program. Both drivers travel at the end of October to take part in the Shamrock Rally organized in Morocco in early November, so the purpose of the test-ride was to demonstrate the results of their training before they get down to some serious practice for the coming Dakar Rally. NISMO's president, Yuichi Sanada outlined the program to the members of the media present, describing the themes this year's training program deals with: coherent instruction from full-time trainers; opportunities of 4-wheel competition on all types of surfaces; accumulation of driving experience; familiarization with machines, including learning how to drive without damaging the car and being prepared for mechanical trouble; and rigorous mental and physical training.
At the same time, Sanada announced the co-drivers who joined the team in the Shamrock Rally. Assigned to Ikemachi is Takuya Sugimura, a co-driver with a fine track record in overseas rallying including World Rally Championship experience, while teaming up with Mitsuhashi is Frenchman Sylvain Poncet. Sugimura spoke about his ambitions: "The role of a co-driver is not just to navigate, he must always be seeing further ahead than the driver, creating the right conditions for the driver to be able to perform at his best. The first thing is to build communication and help the driver finish among the leaders."
President Sanada went on to talk about the activities of the Nissan Rally Raid Team, Nissan's works team. Outlining the new 2005 Dakar Rally specification Nissan pickups, which ran in a shakedown in Tunisia in July and underwent development tests in Morocco in September, he said, "The development tests on the new cars are going well, especially with former WRC champion Colin McRae who joined the team at the end of last year. Although we announced our team structure and machine details in mid-November, we have since made a number of improvements to the chassis as well as increasing engine displacement and optimizing weight balance by changing the position of the spare tyre."
During the demonstration run on Mobility Park's 2km off-road circuit, the two drivers held nothing back as they threw their production models (overseas specs) of the Pathfinder and Patrol (known as the Safari in Japan) into the corners. Both Ikemachi and Mitsuhashi commented on how surprised they were to see so many media people turn up, and that it was a sobering feeling to have to measure up to everyone's expectations. "First I asked both drivers about their training, but once I was actually sitting in the navigator's seat their true character came through and I felt a real bond with them", said one media editor who took part in the test-ride. "I'll definitely be rooting for these two youngsters when they go abroad." Another media editor commented, "This was my first off-road test-ride, and it showed me a little of the awesome nature of the Dakar Rally."
Ikemachi, Mitsuhashi and Sugimura will all leave for Morocco at the end of October. After competing in the Shamrock Rally they will remain in Morocco for intensive training. Then they will cross to France to continue their preparations with Team Dessoude, Nissan's powerful private team based in Saint-Lô in Northern France.
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