Nissan Rally Raid Teams announced for 2005 Dakar Rally

The meeting kicked off with the screening of a video compilation showing development of Nissan’s 2005 Pickup. Ken’ichi Sasaki, currently serving as Nissan Motor Global Motor Sports Officer took the stage and stated confidently, “For Nissan Motor, the Dakar Rally represents one of the mainstays of its motor sports activities. We have evolved on all fronts so look out for an exciting time in this our third race challenge.� He was followed by Team Manager Gilles Martineau who recalled that despite the relatively short period of time since concentrating their development base in southern France in February, the resulting 2005 model Nissan Pickup has more than adequate potential.

Martineau described the three-car team structure and commented on his aspirations for a podium finish. In the Dakar rally, all entrants who complete the course take the podium but naturally he was referring to finishing in the top three. Team members are girding themselves for this demanding goal. Martineau then introduced each of three pairs making up the six-member team.

First to be introduced was South African born Giniel de Villiers (South Africa) who has worked since the early days as a Nissan pickup development driver. De Villiers expressed his satisfaction with the 2005 model, commenting that it has been thoroughly tested and had improved incredibly right down to the finest detail. He returned to South Africa on the 17th and will be competing in the final of the South Africa Off-Road Championship to be held at the weekend.

De Villiers won this event in 2001 and is hoping to make this his second Series Championship win. The other contender for the title will be team mate Hannes Grobler (who drove a support truck for Nissan team competitors in the 2004 Dakar Rally). Grobler smiled as he noted, “I am leading in the points but only by two points. First across the line will be the champion so I’ll be going full throttle.�

A new team member brought in to pair up with de Villiers as navigator is Jean-Marie Lurquin (Balgium). Lurquin is a veteran who participated in the private NPJ team (Nissan Private Japon) which was underpinned by Nissan Motor Employees, competing in the Dakar Rally in the 1990s. Last year he navigated for J-L Schlesser. Lurquin expressed his delight and enthusiasm at being back with the Nissan Family and noted the advantageous combination of de Villiers’ youth coupled with his own experience.

Next came Ari Vatanen (Finland). Up to 1991, Vatanen held the record for the most wins with four victories. While he may have turned 52 this year, his driving is still as aggressive as ever and in the 2004 Dakar he drove a Nissan Pickup to record his 50th special stage win. Vatanen exhibits enthusiasm and a total enjoyment of the Dakar Rally. “Compared with two years ago, I feel that both the machines and the team have been rejuvenated. This extra boost makes me very excited. I intend to take my usual relaxed and confident approach to this race“. His navigator has only recently been decided. This position goes to Tiziano Siviero (Italy) who notched up two magnificent WRC championship wins in combination with Mikki Biasion. Siviero exudes typical professional navigator confidence. Although he has not driven in a Nissan Pickup before he notes, “Ari is a pro among pros and if I do my own job well I should be able to gain his trust.�

Last to mount the stage was Colin McRae (Britain). Still fresh in our memories is the sensation that McRae caused when he announced last year his intention to take a break from WRC events and join the Nissan Rally Raid Team to challenge the Dakar Rally. In this his second year, McRae has energetically conducted vehicle tests in Tunisia and Morocco and in October he drove the 2003 model in the UAE Desert Challenge which also served to hone his desert driving skills. He has also concentrated on Nissan team activities which have included a magnificent debut cross-country victory in the Baja Portalegre which he entered to test the 2005 Nissan Pickup. A smiling McRae said in his usual quiet manner that he could approach this year’s rally with confidence. “The car is durable and has achieved a high level of finish in a short time. A top three finish is not an easy target but together with Tina I think we can do it. McRae’s navigator for the second year, Tina Thorner (Sweden), notes that while the role of Dakar Rally navigator is a tough one, she enjoys it. Thorner emphasizes the importance of a good driver-navigator combination. “Spending so long in each other’s company means that interpersonal relationships are quite critical.�

The press conference concluded with a photo session with all team members.
For its third year of Dakar Rally participation, the Nissan Rally Raid team has managed to raised the bar overall in terms of people and car preparation and appear set to deliver a dazzling race performance.