- continued
from the cover
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"Fantastic." That's how Hiroshi
Masuoka describes the Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution
(Montero Evolution) that he and codriver Andreas
Schultz piloted to victory in the 2003 Dakar Rally.
Masuoka won the rally for the second year in a row.
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Masuoka
is only the fourth driver to win consecutive championships
in the Dakar Rally. He commented on the driving strategy
that contributed to the feat.
"This year was a great race. It was fast
and there were some good stages in Tunisia and Libya. It
was hard, though. Every day we were doing 160 to 180 kilometers
per hour. And it was exciting to race against [Mitsubishi
Ralliart teammate] Stephane [Peterhansel]. But in the second
half we were more careful and reduced our speed to save
the car. I was waiting in case he made a mistake."
The Pajero Evolution (Montero Evolution) that
carried Masuoka and his codriver to victory is the result
of two years of intense development. Masuoka was understandably
enthusiastic about the vehicle, which debuted in the UAE
Desert Challenge 2002.
"The car is fantastic. It was developed
last year and finished at the end of August. Mitsubishi
has worked very hard on the suspension settings. We tested
the car for two weeks in Morocco and it showed potential
from the start."
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The intrepid Pajero Evolution (Montero Evolution)
surges across the desert toward victory. |
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Mitsubishi Motors CEO Rolf
Eckrodt summarized the significance of the dominant showing
by his company in the famed race. "Three overall victories
in a row show Mitsubishi Motors' dominance of the world's
toughest overland race. We are committed to staying ahead
of all our competitors for off-road vehicles also in the
future. In the end, it is the customer who benefits from
our passion to improve performance year by year." |
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