Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC) and its motorsport unit Mitsubishi Motor Sport (MMSP) will enter a field of four cars for the 2008 Dakar Rally* which this year celebrates its 30th anniversary. Next year's event will start from Lisbon, the capital of Portugal, on January 5 and will arrive in the Senegal capital, Dakar, on January 20 after passing via Spain, Morocco and Mauritania. The total route length is 9,273km, including 5,736km in competitive special stages and the toughest challenge promises to be the dunes that competitors will find in Mauritania.
The Mitsubishi squad is led by Hiroshi Masuoka (Japan) who won the event consecutively in 2002 and 2003. The Japanese veteran will be joined in the team's strong driver line-up by Stephane Peterhansel (France), who has nine previous Dakar wins on two and four wheels to his name and winner of the 2007 rally, and Luc Alphand (France), who has obtained excellent results on the event since 2005, including an outright win in 2006. Joan 'Nani' Roma (Spain), winner of the motorbike category in 2004 and who is making excellent progress on four wheels, rounds off the team's talented foursome. The Pajero/Montero Evolution will feature ongoing improvements, as well as changes made mandatory by the latest regulations, and will make a key contribution to Mitsubishi's bid to secure its 13th Dakar win from 26 starts, and its eighth consecutive success.
* The 2008 event is officially known as the 'Euromilhoes Lisbon - Dakar 2008'. Euromilhoes, the title sponsor of the rally, is a lottery syndicate which has its headquarters in Portugal.
The Pajero/Montero Evolution is a Super Production rally car which complies with the FIA Group T1 technical regulations (modified cross-country rally car) that came into force in 2002. The car prepared for the 2003 event featured the same development codename (MPR10) as its predecessor. The introduction of technical evolutions saw the codename change in 2005 to become the MPR11, which in turn became the MPR12 for the 2006 rally. The MPR13 that made its debut in 2007 was an extensively upgraded version which featured an all-new frame structure.
Mitsubishi's latest contender features a rigid, lightweight multi-tubular frame which forms an integral load-bearing structure. With the fuel tank and spare wheel positioned lower down and in a more central location, the MPR13 boasts a favorable weight distribution. The wider front and rear track dimensions combine with the revised suspension geometry to ensure enhanced high-speed and maneuvering stability. The spacious cabin offers optimal seating positions for the driver and co-driver while at the same time guaranteeing competitive comfort even in extreme conditions. The Super Production Pajero/Montero Evolution has won the event five years in a row to take Mitsubishi's score to a record run of seven straight wins and its 12th in total from 26 starts.
Though the codename remains the same, the 2008 Pajero/Montero Evolution has reached its near perfect form. It features the mandatory changes required by the latest regulations, as well as a number of modifications aimed at improving its overall performance package. Changes include the inlet and exhaust systems which have been fine-tuned as a function of the new 31mm diameter air restrictor (compared with 32mm previously). The gear ratios have been optimized to match the new five-speed gearbox which replaces the six-speed 'box used on the 2007 event, while the larger diameter clutch is aimed at enhanced durability. Meanwhile, the extensive year-long testing program focused primarily on the suspension with the aim of improving maneuvering stability, performance over rough surfaces and ride quality. The program included a three-week test in Morocco in July 2007, during which the team covered 7,600km. The enhanced handling compensates for the slight losses in power and torque, although there is a more than a sufficient margin.
