Dakar Mission 1000, the fantastic adventure of Team Galicia
Electric motorcycles, Offroad
Arctic Leopard, Dakar Mission 1000, Esther Merino, Fran Gómez Pallas, Miguel Puertas, Team Galicia
Source: THE PACK Italia | Author: Marco Ghezzi | Photography: Pombo Fotógrafo | This year at Dakar Mission 1000 – the category dedicated to vehicles using alternative energy – one name stands out: Team Galicia. The credit goes above all to Fran Gómez Pallas, a resident of Carballo (Galicia) but born in Venezuela, who in the 2026 edition competed in his ninth Dakar, the second astride an electric motorcycle.
What happened? A true Spanish triumph: first place in the category for Fran and also excellent third and fourth places for his adventure companions, Esther Merino and Miguel Puertas. Of course, the credit also goes to the protagonists, three high-performing Arctic Leopard EXE 880 Rally bikes that behaved impeccably.
A story of falls… and success
The success, however, comes from far away and was not painless. Gómez had already seen the finish line in four of his seven Dakars ridden on combustion bikes, but the bitter memory of 2024 was still vivid.
At 53 he had decided to attempt something fascinating: to become the first Spaniard to win the Dakar with an electric motorcycle in the Mission 1000 category. Fran raced with a handmade prototype, an extremely heavy bike, no less than 215 kilos, which he even had to weld almost every night to prevent the frame from giving way. It seemed done, but just 12 kilometers from the end of the penultimate stage, the frame broke in two while he was racing at 140 km/h.
Battery on one side, he on the other, dream in a thousand pieces. And a couple of cracked ribs with a forced retirement. Two years later, here he is again on the starting line, with the same goal, but this time with an official bike and alongside two valuable teammates, Esther Merino and Miguel Puertas, a pair that combines experience, speed and determination.
On January 17, 2026, Mission 1000 becomes a success for the entire team!
We interviewed Fran and here is what he told us:
Why Mission 1000?
After seven Dakars on motorcycles it seemed to me that something different and special was needed. Since Dakar 2018 I had already been working for several years on an innovative project: racing with an electric motorcycle! My friend Joan Puig had created a 100% handmade electric prototype, including a 90-kilo battery. The bike had great power delivery and in the race I was very competitive. The electronics didn’t fail and I could already see the finish line. But in stage 11 the frame broke in two and I was out.
I was bitter but the idea was to return to finish the Dakar. For over a year I spoke with sponsors and we got in touch with Arctic Leopard. They liked the idea and prepared three EXE 880 Rally bikes for us with 51 kW of power and 140 kg of weight. The goal was to finish and win the category with our team and we succeeded.
What was it like racing electric?
The big difference between riding an electric motorcycle and a combustion one mainly concerns weight and power delivery. They usually weigh more because of the batteries; on the other hand, power delivery is much more immediate and smooth compared to a combustion engine. The advantages of an electric motorcycle lie especially in reliability and maintenance: except for the chassis, the motor is very simple and at the end of a stage there is no need to change oil, air filters, clutch, etc. Everything is greatly simplified and unexpected problems are reduced.
Were there any problems?
Practically none, everything worked perfectly. Range remains the point to improve. At the moment we can cover a maximum of 120 km at a good pace. In the new version, however, the batteries should give us 20 or 25% more range.
Future projects?
I dream of bringing a top rider to compete for the overall Dakar motorcycle classification with an electric bike against combustion ones. To do so, we need to be allowed a battery change at refueling points.
After all, we add, Team Galicia’s success is not only sporting: it is also a sign that the future of the Dakar can also be electric, competitive and spectacular.
Believing in Team Galicia was not only Arctic Leopard, but also numerous sponsors both from the sector and institutional: INDUPANEL, ACIVRO, LANTANIA, XUNTA DE GALICIA, TURISMO DE GALICIA, DEPUTACION DA CORUÑA, DEPORTE GALEGO, CONCELLO DE CARBALLO, INOXMAN, QUECHOVA
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