— The motor sport division of Mitsubishi Motors Corporation, MMSP, is poised to start the famous Dakar Rally on January 1, 2005. MMSP brought the team Mitsubishi Motors Repsol ATS Studio Pajero Evolution and the L200 Pick-up to Le Creusot off road course for the shakedown of its racing machines from December 20th to 21st.
The hilly and diverse Le Creusot off road stage is located approximately 100 km north west from MMSP SAS, the Mitsubishi cross-country rally development facility situated in Pont de Vaux, near Macon, in the center of France. The place is a familiar location for testing of the Dakar's Pajero and the almost 5 km track, surrounded by hilly landscapes, has some tough up and down areas. Mitsubishi again utilized this varied road for its shakedown. On this hard-packed rock-strewn terrain, even experienced drivers like Masuoka and Peterhansel must be extremely careful. Since the altitude of the area is high, and because of the season, there are dangerous patches of frozen mud and even the possibility of snowfalls.
The five machines of Team Mitsubishi Repsol ATS Studio in top form.
Although the test was carried out under prime weather conditions on December 20th, the area experienced its coldest day before winter. Temperatures dropped to a freezing minus 5 degrees as the team prepared its vehicles. Japan's Hiroshi Masuoka, France's Stephane Peterhansel and fellow countryman Luc Alphand, a new member to the Mitsubishi team, made adjustments to their newly developed Pajero Evolutions on the first day. On the second day, Spain's Joan Roma got behind the wheel of the Pajero Evolution and Germany's Andrea Mayer took the controls of his L200 Pick-Up. The vehicles' development and the suspension settings have been thoroughly tested during Mitsubishi's previous runs in Morocco and events preceding the Paris Dakar. In particular, the valuable tests carried out in October on the 2004 UAE Desert Challenge provided significant results. The main purpose of the shakedown test is to validate the settings and this was accomplished without major problems.
Masuoka, who completed about 20 runs, was smiling with confidence: "All is according to schedule. I'm in top condition", he said. In Morocco he managed to put in considerable driving time and with that experience he made his own adjustments to the suspension and seems completely confident in his work. As a result of his achievement in the tough UAE event, he seems to have mentally gained considerable confidence. Meanwhile, Peterhansel's expression was serious as he energetically tested the perimeter and made a thorough check of his suspension settings. He was completely committed in making the final verification on his machine. In addition, Luc Alphand compared the MPR10, which he tested in Morocco, to the new Pajero Evolution MPR11. The Frenchman was quite pleased with the performance of his machine. The drivers displayed some aggressive driving, plowing through the puddles of water throughout the mountainous course. All three drivers agree that the power and response of the engine is phenomenal.
Joan Roma seemed confident and enthusiastic on the first day of testing. Back in November he trained behind the wheel of a Pajero on the Qatar Baja Rally. From the second day, he climbed aboard the Pajero Evolution and showed he had got used to driving the powerful machine. The Spaniard seems quite optimistic of gaining a top finishing spot on this year's Dakar. Roma took victory in the 2 wheel category of the 2004 Dakar and says he is both mentally and physically up to the task of winning in the 4 wheel drive category.
As in 2004, female driver Andrea Mayer will provide support for the Pajero Evolutions in the awesome L200 fitted with a V6 4 liter engine. Mayer showed off her skill on the UAE event and seems to have completely mastered the Super Production Car category. She says she's quite confident in her second attempt in the works team.
The five vehicles of the Team "Mitsubishi Repsol ATS Studio" completed the 2-day shakedown without a hitch. The team will make all the checks and necessary adjustments before taking off for the Christmas holidays. The official inspection procedures of the 2005 Dakar will begin on December 30th in Barcelona, Spain.
Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC) will provide 2005 Dakar daily report and daily photo on the following website.
- 1.Daily Report
- URL: http://www.mitsubishi-motors.com/motorsports/e/05dakar/report/index.html
- 2. Daily Photo
- URL: http://www.mitsubishi-motors.com/motorsports/e/05dakar/photo.html
