The Nissan Rally Raid Team has appointed four drivers for the 2004 Dakar Rally. This lineup, announced at a press conference on November 18, stands out as a truly impressive and capable group even by the standards of the Dakar Rally, where a fierce battle is expected with a number of works teams participating. In the Nissan team is Colin McRae (Britain), champion of the 1995 World Rally Championship (WRC) who moved into cross-country racing and whose participation in the Nissan team was received around the world as big news. Veteran Ari Vatanen (Finland), who again will take the wheel of a Nissan pickup continued from last year, is also a WRC title-holder (1981). Since debuting in the Paris-Dakar in 1987, he has won the rally four times, a record equaled only by Pierre Lartigue, and has a similar stature to fellow member McRae. At the press conference, Vatanen joked: "I won the Paris-Dakar the first year I entered it. Colin, If I can win on my first debut, so can you." To which McRae replied laughing: "Yes, I was raised from when I was little watching Ari perform at the Paris-Dakar." The other team members are Giniel de Villiers (South Africa), a Nissan pickup development driver who came fifth overall on his first attempt in the Paris-Dakar in 2003, and new member Yves Loubet (France) who comes from a speed rally background and won this year's Rally of the Pharaohs. Each of the team has a different and highly interesting background and individual character.

Vatanen, who in 2003 drove a Nissan pickup with Tina Thorner, stopped during the rally at the scene of an accident involving his team-mate, and with that delay, finished seventh overall. Even so, Vatanen made a good showing, drawing on his natural speed and winning the top time in four special stages. He expressed confidence that the Nissan pickups would be just as fast, even though this year the main stage shifts from Libya to Mauritania, but also showed the calm of a veteran, to whom overconfidence is anathema. "This year, on the route to Dakar, Mauritania with its deep sand will be the hardest part. Because of a long total length of 11,000 kilometers, it will be a hard rally. However, this will not have much effect on the potential of the top-class machines in any of the stages. The 2004 model Nissan pickups have all been improved, and with their quick handling and comfortable ergonomics, I believe they are the best rally vehicles. Cabin comfort is a vital element in the Dakar Rally, which is such a long event. In any case, even though you have a car equipped with everything for winning, in Africa you cannot afford to have too much confidence. When you go into the desert, you realize just how insignificant humans are in the natural world. That is why it is never easy. This time, too, it will certainly be a tough rally." This year, instead of Thorner, Vatanen has changed navigators to Juha Repo, a fellow Finn and veteran. Among the Dakar drivers, the garrulous Vatanen is regarded as something of a leader.

	Profile of Ari VATANEN

This is, of course, his first cross-country rally. Although this is a man who won the 1995 World Rally Championship as the top WRC driver, he displayed a modest and cautious demeanor, albeit showing some confidence in his speed, on his first attempt at a new category. "Some years ago, I heard Fred Gallagher talk about the Dakar Rally and got interested in it. And Tina (Thorner) said to me that it would be good if she could come with me as my navigator this time. So while there is some pressure, I am really looking forward to it now. If I get another chance to drive in the WRC I want to take it, but as for now I really want to get into the Nissan Dakar and concentrate on that. Although I won the Safari Rally in Africa, I have no experience in driving on sand, of course. (I have ridden on water on a jet ski, though.) I am keen to drive a Nissan pickup. Drivers with a WRC background, like me, are used to speed, but with the Dakar Rally there is much to learn, such as the right mentality. Not just simple speed, but maintaining concentration over a long time is important. Anyway, I think that comes down to experience." After this, McRae was involved in practice testing in Johannesburg where he was favorably impressed by the Nissan pickups. His first attempt at the Dakar, assisted by navigator Thorner, who has experienced both the WRC and cross country rallies, is attracting considerable interest.

	Profile of Colin McRAE

Involved in circuit racing up to 1999, De Villiers is a talented driver who won touring car championships for South Africa Nissan. After switching to off-road racing, he won the South Africa Off-Road Championship in 2001 in a Nissan pickup. He also worked as a pickup development driver, and came fifth overall on his first attempt at the Paris-Dakar in 2003. After that, he remained on a winning streak, winning the Morocco Rally, which he entered as part of the 2004 model development testing program. This time, he changes navigators to South African Francois Jordaan, with whom he has raced in South Africa for three years. De Villiers commented: "While this will be Jordaan's first experience of the Dakar Rally, he and I are good friends and we have good communication, so I have no worries at all." He went on to say: "The 2004 Nissan pickups have evolved greatly, for example lowering the center of gravity, so I am confident that they will be stable. It's a fact that we ran into trouble in the UAE, which was like a runup to the Dakar Rally, but we have identified the cause, so I believe there will be no trouble in the Dakar. Although we can't talk about it, Nissan plans to make the 2005 model even better, and I am looking forward to it. I haven't experienced the route in the coming Dakar Rally, but I imagine it will be harder than last time. The Dakar Rally is exciting and at the same time, like life itself. I believe I have a chance of winning but I will battle with humility." Speaking in his usual mild voice, De Villiers displayed evidence of the "quiet warrior" epithet bestowed on him by Vatanen.

	Profile of Giniel DE VILLIERS

Loubet, who is Corsican, is a French driver who has driven in WRC and other speed rallies. He is a capable driver who has demonstrated his practical ability by winning the French Rally Championship five times. This will be the third time Loubet has entered the Paris-Dakar Rally. In 2003, he won the Rally of the Pharaohs in a Nissan pickup, and with veteran Pascal Maimon as his navigator, is expected to do well in the Dakar. "For me, this will be my third Dakar Rally and I am very pleased to race as part of the Nissan team this time. The team organization is strong and I am looking forward to driving a new vehicle with such high potential. The competition up to the goal Dakar is long and hard, but everyday there is drama and it's a very appealing event. In this year's course, Morocco should be fantastic, and Mauritania will be a hard battle… Coming from a speed rally background, this will be the seventh time I have raced in a cross-country rally. This year I was able to win the Pharaohs, and I am looking at the coming Dakar Rally with confidence."

	Profile of Yves LOUBET

Although the backgrounds and nationalities of the four drivers on the Nissan Rally Raid Team are so different, each has remained strongly motivated in the leadup to the event. We look forward to the results of the "further strides" the Nissan Team is aiming at.

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