Mario CANAVESI, the Senior Vice President Sales & Marketing of NISSAN Europe, announced today during a press conference at the Paris Motorshow, that NISSAN will be returning to competition in Rally Raids.
The Japanese manufacturer will compete over a three-year period starting with the next Dakar rally. Full details of the program and the drivers will be made available at a press conference this October, in Paris.
"With an official entry in the 2003 Dakar, NISSAN is setting off on one of the world's most challenging human and technological adventures", said Mario Canavesi. The mythical event will start in the south of France on January 1st, finishing three weeks later in Egypt, on the banks of the Red Sea, on January 19th.
To tackle this new adventure, the choice has been made to use the NISSAN Pickup. First entered during the 2002 edition (by Dessoude Competition), the Pickup created a surprise by leading for the first 4 days and winning 30% of the Stages.
The Pickup, which will spearhead Team NISSAN, has already secured many victories this season in South Africa, where the set-up is ongoing for Dakar 2003.
The team should take the start of this automotive marathon with no fewer than five cars. Three of them will be prepared by NISSAN, with the other two prepared by AndrEDessoude, who is associated this year to Team NISSAN.
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