The Dakar rally has entered the conversation for the motorsport division as more “environmentally friendly”. Formula has the “E” division with full electric powertrains. On the other hand, more extreme motorsports are also trying to achieve carbon neutrality in the sports, and Rally entered the conversation earlier in 2024 with the “Mission 100,” created for vehicles using the next generation of powertrains, like HySe with their “new” rally car running on hydrogen with futuristic technology.
Motorsport divisions aiming for carbon neutrality
The Dakar Rally is considered to be one of the toughest proves in all motorsport. Participants have to drive through the desert, going over dunes and taking care of the car, so the extreme heat doesn’t compromise anything, and going for over 7,000 kilometers. Not only this rally, but also the road and the dirt divisions are among the most dangerous in motorsports.
Meanwhile, these divisions are also trying to create engines and powertrains that don’t harm the environment, as in the past decades. Formula started the trend with the “E” division, and Honda left F1 for two years to focus on carbon neutrality with engines running on new, renewable sources of energy, such as hydrogen – something the rally liked better than the electric powertrains.
“New” car in the rally
The Hydrogen Small Mobility & Engine Technology Association (HySE) returned to the race in early 2025 with an upgraded hydrogen-powered rally car: the HySE-X2. The team will compete in the “Mission 1000” category—a new division created in 2024 to push next-generation powertrains aimed at carbon neutrality – and finished in second place.
HySE first entered the Dakar in 2024 with the HySE-X1—a prototype designed to test how a hydrogen engine could handle extreme conditions in small vehicles. Even as a first attempt, the X1 managed to finish the entire rally and secured fourth place in its category.
Now, for the 2025 edition, HySE took it to the next level. According to the team, they will focus on solving key technical challenges—like boosting power at high RPMs, improving fuel efficiency in mid-range performance, and expanding the hydrogen tank’s capacity to last longer across the desert stages.
The opportunity to promote hydrogen as a fuel source
For HySE, the Dakar Rally is an opportunity to showcase on a global stage the power of hydrogen mobility. After the rally, the HySE-X2 will also be on display during the European Hydrogen Week, happening in Brussels from November 18 to 22. Daichi Kai, HySE’s team manager, explained that the decision to return with the new X2 model is part of their ongoing effort to fine-tune hydrogen engine technology for small vehicles.
Meanwhile, Honda has been working on achieving carbon neutrality for years. In the original project, the goal was supposed to be achieved by 2030. The performance team even left Formula 1 right after it delivered one of the best engines from the last decade to Red Bull – but they didn’t leave the team empty-handed. Honda allowed the Red Bull to continue to use their engine and share the plans, help more behind the scenes, as the focus for the automaker was other. They went back to motorsport two years later to reunite with Red Bull.
The drivers in Dakar 2025
Yoshio Ikemachi and Paulo Marques were behind the wheel for the 2025 race—two veterans with more than two decades of Dakar experience. Ikemachi first entered the rally in 2000, finishing 10th on a motorcycle. A few years later, he switched to cars and even won his class. In 2024, he returned to the race to drive the HySE in the veteran category. Alongside him was Paulo Marques, from Portugal. He first raced Dakar back in 1997, finishing 8th on a motorcycle, before also moving to car competitions.
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