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On December 8, a meeting was held to announce the Team Dessoude lineup at the town of Saint-Lo in Manche, Normandy, France where the Team is based. Dessoude was a Manche Nissan dealer, and Andre Dessoude, its representative, has been part of the Dakar Rally since the early 80's, taking the wheel himself. The Dessoude Team is one of long standing that has achieved remarkable results, including numerous T1 class victories. A Nissan satellite team currently under the management of Andre Dessoude, the Dessoude Team's competition vehicles include South Africa Nissan-made Super Production class Nissan Pickups (2001 and 2003 models), and it is becoming the center for Nissan private teams around the world. The 2005 Dessoude Team will enter a total of ten competition vehicles driven by an international team of drivers spanning six nationalities. These will include three Pickups driven by Kenjiro Shinozuka (Japan), Gregoire de Mevius (Belgium), and Carlos Sousa (Portugal). They are joined by Jun Mitsuhashi and Yoshio Ikemachi, selected for the Nissan/NISMO Japanese rookie driver training program, in Nissan X-Trails (Super Production class), Paul Belmondo (France) driving a Nissan X-Trail (6-speed transmission), a Chinese team driving two Nissan China?Palladins? (Super Production class), Isabelle Patissier (France), T1 class champion in the 2004 FIA Cross-Country Rally World Cup, and Benoit Rousselot (France), the 2002 French Rally champion who will be entering two T1 class Nissan Pathfinders. The support team will include three T4 camions and five T5 assistance camions with a total contingent of 68 members, making Dessoude one of the largest teams in the four-wheel class of the 2005 Dakar. Naturally, this is the largest non-works team in the Rally.
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The December 8 meeting was held in the Competition Division's building behind the Dessoude head office showroom. Team Manager Andre Dessoude introduced the drivers in order of their nationality. After the Chinese team, which came first, Ikemachi and Mitsuhashi stepped up to the dias. The two emphasized their training in the Moroccan sand dunes, which was part of this year's training program, and their results in the Shamrock Rally in November, and spoke of their enthusiasm for the coming Dakar Rally in which they were stepping up to the T2 (Super Production) class from the T1 class last year. The final driver to be introduced was Kenjiro Shinozuka. About to enter his 20th Dakar Rally, he spoke passionately of how he would use his experience as a veteran, and of his enthusiasm to complete the race and his ambition to win a top prize using the classic competition settings of the sponsors.
Finally, the relaxed competitors, enjoying being photographed outdoors among vehicles they will race in, showed how well they got on together. The impression was of a highly motivated Team Dessoude despite the family atmosphere. Then the team made final adjustments to their vehicles and conducted shakedown tests at an off-road course on the outskirts of Paris. After an inaugural meeting at Saint-Lo on December 28, they departed to Barcelona, Spain for the scrutineering.
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Jerome Riviere
While I will not be entering this Dakar as a competitor myself, I am looking forward to seeing the results of the two Japanese drivers whom I trained this year. Experiencing two wheels first then going across to four is good, and it's the way I did it myself. Riding a motorcycle trains you to assess the road surface more rigorously and also hones your navigational sense. As far as driving skills go, I use the Nissan Aventure dune experience course, which I have been associated with since it was established ten years ago, as a base to let the drivers get as much dune driving as they want, and I think this has given them confidence. In the Shamrock Rally I also acted as team manager and felt that both Jun and Yoshio had certainly stepped up to a new level.
Yoshio Ikemachi
 In the Shamrock Rally, one aim was to get navigator Sugimura used to cross-country navigating for the first time, so for me, coming fourth was not bad. The Dakar Rally is getting close now, and this year's Dakar will be just as difficult as last year's. Compared to last year's Patrol T1 class, this year's T2 X-Trail has a lighter chassis and better performance. I'll be able to drive at a proper T2-type pace this time. However, there are marathon stages and there will be times when the accelerator is right to the floor, but basically I will not be aiming for a tight balance between speed and durability, but will drive with a safety margin. Anyway, I want to be able to laugh at the end. I want to prove that my results in 2004 were not just a fluke. |
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Jun Mitsuhashi
I will be participating in the Dessoude Team like last time, but whereas the team indulged me a little as it was my first experience, this time they want me to achieve results. So I have sharpened up my motivation and they know my competition mode. Within the team the atmosphere has changed with a new chief mechanic. Now I will be driving a T2, and compared to last year's T1, it needs a more sensitive driving style, so restrained driving will be essential. There will be more serious moments at the borderline between speed and risk so I will need perseverance.
The trick will be to have a sense of finding the
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winning edge. The Shamrock Rally, which we were able to win, confirmed for me that what I've been doing up to now has not been a total waste. I might have gone up one step, but entering the Dakar Rally in the T2 class, I'm looking forward to seeing the next step ahead. |
Sylvain Poncet
I am free-lance, and normally I'm an offroad-driving instructor. In the past I have worked with Jerome and was introduced to the Team through him. This will be my first Dakar, but I've been in the Shamrock five times including this year's, and have participated in Tunisia in quads (four-wheel buggies). The Dakar is more than twice as long as Tunisia, so I won't be worrying too much about results, but will just try to do the best navigation I can each day. I communicate with Jun in English, and he is a good driver. Anyway, I hope we complete the course. |
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