Now yes. Mission accomplished in Mission 1000! The KH-7 ECOVERGY Team has confirmed this Friday an undisputed triumph in the alternative energy vehicles category of the Dakar Future. Jordi Juvanteny, José Luis Criado and Xavi Ribas, at the controls of the MAN 6x6 truck, powered by a mixed Hydrogen / HVO (hydrotreated vegetable oil) system, have completed their Dakarian challenge by climbing to the top of the Shubaytah podium. It is the second consecutive victory for the veteran Spanish team with the colors of KH-7, in the category that anticipates the future technological direction of the toughest career in motorsport.
At the moment of taking stock, the words of pilot Jordi Juvanteny convey the dimension of the achievement: “This is the Dakar, reaching the end is always a reason for great joy. In our case, even more so, because we carry a lot of technological challenges in the truck. These technologies are a challenge for everyone and we have been able to take them to the end. The truth is that we could not have finished better, with victory and with a technology that worked perfectly in the truck.”
Co-pilot José Luis Criado says: “I am proud of the team spirit we have demonstrated throughout the race, the desire to overcome and the demands of this test. Although the stages of Mission 1000 are not that long, you have to be absolutely focused, both in driving and in navigation, and everything was completed to my complete satisfaction.”
The third cabin crew member, engineer Xavi Ribas, is the director of EVARM, the Spanish company that developed the hybrid system that powers the truck's engine. The performance of this pioneering technology has been impeccable, as Ribas explains: “We have managed to get the machine working properly, so that Jordi and José Luis could get the maximum performance, which was important. This technology has been shown to work in good hands. Furthermore, we have surpassed the previous edition in terms of emissions levels and the use of hydrogen. We have overcome small setbacks, but this is Dakar; reaching the end is a challenge and, above all, winning it is insurmountable. Having achieved this for the second year in a row is very valuable for us and for the whole team.”
Paradoxically, the Mission 1000 category means that the most veteran team is the one that charts the technological future of the Dakar. Jordi Juvanteny and José Luis Criado form the most experienced tandem in the Dakar. They have competed together in 31 editions, 16 of which with the iconic orange KH-7 truck, also rejuvenated thanks to hydrogen technology. Juvanteny has 33 Dakars and Criado, no less than 34. The co-pilot of Andalusian origin (notary in La Roca, Barcelona, for 11 months last year) is the active participant with the most editions disputed.
For Juvanteny and Criado, reaching their sporting maturity in the Dakar fighting for absolute victory, with the support in the cabin of Xavi Ribas over the last few years, is quite an achievement. They certainly hadn't imagined it before embarking on the innovative project of powering the truck with hydrogen, a system that enables a reduction in polluting emissions of up to 90%. “I can’t ask for more than to have won in my 34th edition. I don't know, maybe I'll go out on my shoulders, like the bullfighters", exclaims José Luis Criado.
In summary, over the course of the 14 qualifying competition rounds of Mission 1000, from January 3rd to today (plus one rest day), the KH-7 ECOVERGY Team has earned 249 bonus points and won the category of alternative energies with 14 points of advantage over the second classified.
Source: The KH-7 ECOVERGY Team, Dakar champions for the second time in Mission 1000
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