STRiX has Dakar 2027 in its sights, with an electric motorcycle and Pedro Bianchi Prata at the handlebars. The Slovenian manufacturer is developing a competition model for Mission 1000 together with the experienced Portuguese rider. The goal is ambitious: to fight for victory in this challenge while advancing electric rally technology. STRiX project announcement
As of 21 September 2026. Assessment based on official project and organiser information; no test ride by the author.
Mission 1000 in brief
Mission 1000 is part of the Dakar Future programme and started in 2024. Manufacturers and development teams can test alternative powertrains there under desert conditions. Projects using electric, hydrogen or hybrid technology are eligible; A.S.O. reviews the applications. It is a separate technology challenge within the Dakar environment. Dakar: concept and participation
The distances are tailored to this development brief. For 2026 the organiser announced 13 stages with a total of 1,071 competitive kilometres, mostly around 100 kilometres per day. This scale explains the name and the approach: put vehicles under repeated stress off-road, test range and reliability, and learn from the results. The 2026 route data are no guarantee for 2027. A.S.O.: Mission 1000 for Dakar 2026
Pedro Bianchi Prata: rally experience on both sides of the garage
The man at the handlebars brings more than three decades of off-road experience. Pedro Bianchi Prata comes from Porto, began his motorsport career in 1991 and founded Team Bianchi Prata in 2000. His own biography lists eight Portuguese championship titles in enduro and cross-country. Today he also works as a team principal and coach, offers navigation training and accompanies riders at rally events. Official rider and team biography
He made his Dakar debut on a motorcycle in 2007. As he recounts in an interview with the Automóvel Clube de Portugal, he had to cover part of a stage on the rear rim alone. It is an episode that makes his perseverance more tangible than a bare statistic. Dakar itself lists ten participations on two wheels for the intended STRiX rider. Dakar: presentation of the project
Bianchi Prata is also one of the successful veterans in the bajas: at the Baja TT Dehesa Extremadura 2024 he finished third in the motorcycle overall classification and won the veterans’ classification. This is confirmed by the FIM race report. His experience also extends to running a factory team: the official Dakar service catalogue lists him as team coordinator at Honda HRC for 2018 and 2019. Dakar: team profile
He gained electric rally experience before the STRiX project. His team entered ninth overall at the ADDAX Rally 2025 with a fully electric motorcycle. This gives him experience with navigation, race pacing and electric energy supply to bring to STRiX. In our view, the combination of riding, coaching and team work is particularly valuable for development: he knows the demands in the saddle as well as the work that gets the motorcycle ready again for the next day. Team report on the ADDAX Rally 2025
STRiX relies on development in competition
For 2026 STRiX describes a development programme with four international rallies as well as baja events in the Portuguese championship, the European championship and the World Cup. This is the announced test plan; it cannot be inferred that all starts have already taken place.
One focus is the battery system. Technology partner EDMTECH is to help fit more energy into the available space and improve range under race conditions. The project also cites thermal management, resistance to vibration and impacts, and intelligent energy control. MOEVE is listed as main sponsor. Partners and development goals at STRiX
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What is already known about the motorcycle
At the opening of its test track in Hoče on 14 July 2026, STRiX says it also presented a Dakar version of the motorcycle. The company also unveiled developments to the production machine, including the battery, its own battery management and new software. The presentation shows a concrete development step; it is not yet proof of durability over a complete Dakar event. STRiX: presentation in Hoče
For technical orientation: for the standard STRiX Electric Hard Enduro, the manufacturer quotes 67 kW peak power, 138 kilograms and a swappable 6.2 kWh battery. These figures describe the enduro model on sale and are not confirmed data for the Dakar 2027 configuration. Final battery capacity, weight, race range and the specific charging or swapping strategy of the rally project are not quantified in the project statements reviewed here.
2027: Mission 1000 becomes more demanding in sporting terms
For 2027 Dakar announces a stronger focus on competitive performance: one to two speed test zones are planned per stage. Riders must reach a reference time there, which produces a daily points ranking. Missed waypoints lead to penalty points. For STRiX this means having to master speed, navigation and energy reserves together. Dakar: direction of Mission 1000 from 2027
The outlook: a possible bridge to Dakar 2028
The organiser intends to select a promising project that can take part in the Dakar in 2028 under adapted, more flexible rules. Dakar cites the special-project concept “Garage 56” from Le Mans as a model. Which project will be allowed to take this step has not yet been decided; no commitment to STRiX can be inferred from this. Nor does the programme announce a general switch of the motorcycle categories to electric power. Official Mission 1000 outlook
In our view, this is where the real appeal lies: Mission 1000 can show which solutions prove themselves under repeated stress. For an electric rally motorcycle, peak power is not all that counts. What matters is how much rideable distance a battery allows at race pace, how stable the power stays in the heat and how well the energy supply fits into a long rally day.
STRiX is therefore an interesting Dakar project for 2027. An experienced rider, a targeted battery programme and a more demanding Mission 1000 framework create conditions for meaningful tests. Whether this becomes a package capable of winning will have to be shown in competition. For rally riders, it will be particularly interesting to see which advances later become practically useful beyond the Dakar.