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 Yoshio Ikemachi, appointed to Nissan Motor's driver training program for young Japanese rookie drivers, is currently being prepared at the Nissan Rally Raid Team base near Oxford in southern England for the 2004 Dakar Rally. Part of this preparation includes learning about mechanics and taking language lessons. Ikemachi, who finished 10th overall in the 2000 Dakar Rally (Paris-Dakar-Cairo) in the motorcycle class, the best performance up to then by a Japanese in the class and a record that still stands, continued racing motorcycles in cross-country events, but this year passed Nissan's rookie test and switched to four wheels. Based at the UK workshop, he received practical training by participating in the Baja Espana in July and the UEA Desert Challenge in October, and displayed remarkable progress in his technique and other areas. In the 2004 Dakar Rally, he will race in the T1 gasoline class along with Jun Mihashi. But while Mihashi will drive a French Dessoude Team Terrano, Ikemachi will participate in a (long wheelbase) Patrol GR manufactured in the United Kingdom. His navigator will be veteran Thierry Delli Zotti (France). |
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  Ikemachi, who has been in the UK since October, is staying at a B&B about ten minute's drive from the workshop. A system of accommodation found all over the United Kingdom, "B&B" is short for "bed and breakfast," a sort of private hotel where ordinary citizens provide spare rooms to travelers. Ikemachi is renting a room in an old farmhouse B&B called "Manor Farm" that is more than 500 years old (!). Ikemachi, who is already treated as a member of the family, is often to be found in the kitchen and appears to be thoroughly enjoying English country life. Vantage, where the workshop is located, is southwest of Oxford, but F1 constructors such as Williams and Bar are close by and the Silverstone Circuit is no more than 50 kilometers away. Although Vantage is a country town, the area is well known in the motorsports world. |
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 At the workshop, the Patrol that was raced in the UAE has been substantially remodeled in preparation for the Dakar Rally. The frame and body have been replaced, and the 4.8-liter TB48 engine has been replaced with a new unit. The vehicle was completely stripped and overhauled. Ikemachi helped the pickup mechanics in their work, and while learning the mechanical aspects of the pickup, actively participated in the building of the machine, incorporating his own ideas into the build details. Wearing overalls, he worked until late every night thoroughly immersed in rally preparations. On December 18, the engine was finally installed, and on the 20th a shakedown was run on the offroad course near Silverstone along with the pickup of Yves Loubet. Relations between driver and navigator seem to be good, with navigator Delli Zotti helping in finishing off the vehicle on the 18th and 19th. After Christmas, Ikemachi will build up his energy staying at Delli Zotti's home near Paris, then on the 28th will finally head to Clermont-Ferrand where the vehicles will be inspected. |
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 Ikemachi seems to have learned a good deal in his training so far: "I have to understand my car myself, so I helped in the build in various ways. Because the mechanics were busy working on the pickups, there were some things I had to do myself, but I am relieved that we got to the shakedown okay. While the vehicle is a little heavy (with two people, 150 liters of fuel, and four spare tires, it weighs 3.2 tons), it is strongly built from the frame up. This time — my first Dakar Rally on four wheels — I want to finish with the car as close as possible to the state it was in at the start. Of course, the issues are how fast I can go without a breakdown and whether I can drive without making a mistake, but I will be driving with my mind focused on finishing. |
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  "This will be my second rally, and recently I was given driving training on the ice in Norway along with Mihashi, so I should be properly used to four-wheel driving. I often got buried (stuck) on the UAE rally, so I am no longer afraid of the sand on four wheels. I believe there are no places I can't get through on a rally course. I seem to have picked up some confidence now." With the team mainly focused around pickup support, there is some worry at the few spare parts carried, but the team expects to be all right if it can make it to the rest day with no trouble. "The cross-country world seeks drivers with stamina. Rather than shining for a brief spurt, when you think about it, the aim of a driver is to be unexciting by achieving solid results at important events. I want to be known as a quiet driver," said Ikemachi, expressing an ambition very characteristic of him. |
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