GAZOO Racing announces official partners for its FCEV* challenge on the 2027 Dakar Rally

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GAZOO Racing will benefit from the expertise and technology of a world-class roster of official partners for its pioneering Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV) entry in the Dakar Rally, to be contested in Saudi Arabia on 1-15 January 2027.

As part of its commitment to making ever-better motorsports-bred cars, GAZOO Racing is developing the DKR GR FC Hilux via Toyota’s European research and development centre near Brussels, Belgium. The prototype will enter the Dakar Future Mission 1000 category, which is dedicated to experimental vehicles and the demonstration of new technologies.

The 2027 Dakar Future Mission 1000 entry marks the first time Toyota has combined hydrogen and fuel cell technology in its motorsport’s activities. The DKR GR FC Hilux aims to prove the performance, safety and reliability of fuel cell technology in the harsh environment of the Dakar Rally, over 13 stages, comprising a total of 1,000 competitive kilometres.

Based on the DKR GR Hilux, which has already proven itself in Dakar’s top category, the DKR GR FC Hilux replaces its petrol engine with Toyota’s fuel cell system. It emits no CO₂ while driving, with water as its only tailpipe emission.

Jameel Motorsport, DENSO, TOYO TIRES and IAV have joined as official partners, sharing GAZOO Racing’s commitment to making ever-better cars through motorsports. With the support of its official partners, Toyota will continue to advance its challenge to unlock the potential of carbon-neutral and hydrogen-related technologies in motorsports.

Toyota welcomes Jameel Motorsport, DENSO, TOYO TIRES and IAV onboard a shared journey on the Dakar Future Mission 1000 and sincerely thank them for their support.

The final assembly of the DKR GR FC Hilux is ongoing at Toyota’s European headquarters prior to a pre-Dakar Rally testing programme.

Jameel Motorsport

Munir Khoja, Managing Director of Jameel Motorsport: “For Jameel Motorsport, becoming a partner for DKR GR FC Hilux was an enticing opportunity to advance and champion sustainable motorsport. Having built our foundation on nurturing Saudi drivers, competing on the world's biggest stages, and achieving landmark milestones, we are now expanding our efforts to focus on manufacturer teams, and the DKR GR FC Hilux represents a natural next step in that journey. In alignment with Saudi Vision 2030, we believe hydrogen has a vital role to play alongside other zero-emission solutions in the motorsport arena, and we are proud to help demonstrate, at the highest levels of competition and engineering, that performance and sustainability can go hand in hand.”

DENSO

Kenichiro Ito, CEO of DENSO INTERNATIONAL EUROPE: “DENSO shares Toyota's vision of advancing carbon-neutral mobility through innovation and real-world challenge. The DKR GR FC Hilux and Mission 1000 represent an inspiring opportunity to demonstrate the potential of hydrogen technology under demanding conditions. We are proud to support Toyota’s hydrogen-powered motorsports and its broader commitment to exploring pathways toward a more sustainable mobility society.”

TOYO TIRES

Junichi Uda, Corporate Officer, Division General Manager, Product Planning Division:

“Through our motorsport’s activities, we strive to enhance our expertise in sustainable product development technologies and contribute to a sustainable mobility society by delivering higher-performance, higher-quality, and more attractive products to customers around the world. Based on this vision, we have decided to support this project, as we fully share and endorse its objectives.”

IAV

Jörg Astalosch, Chief Executive Officer of IAV: “At IAV, we have always believed that the best technologies are developed at the edge of what is possible. For many years, we have been developing fuel cell technologies, combining this expertise with our global engineering capabilities. The Dakar Future Mission 1000 pushes innovative technologies to their limits under challenging conditions and provides a true test of performance and resilience. We are proud that IAV’s product ECU Dragoon powered by our software stack is part of this demanding mission and very pleased to support Toyota on this journey.”

^{*FCEV: Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle}