COMMUNIQUE 3 27 December 2001 Scrutineering in Arras

Mitsubishi Pajero / Montero Team Mitsubishi Ralliart J. Kleinschmidt / A. Schulz

For two days the Mitsubishi team has been centred around the Artois Expo in the centre of Arras - as complex documentation and scrutineering formalities were completed at the commercial centre in the Nord Pas De Calais region of France. Headed by French team manager Dominique Serieys, Mitsubishi's challenge for a record-breaking seventh victory in the Dakar will be fronted by a strong four-car team of Pajeros and a single entry in an L200 Pick-Up. Mitsubishi Pajero / Montero Team Mitsubishi Ralliart Jean-Pierre Fontenay Defending champion Jutta Kleinschmidt is already in the history books for becoming the first woman ever to win the world's greatest endurance race, but the German will be looking for a second successive win with co-driver Andreas Schultz. "For me it was a dream to win the Dakar last year", admitted Jutta. "The year has been full of exciting opportunities on the back of becoming Dakar champion. I won a coveted award in Germany and have enjoyed a great battle for the FIA World Cup, which ended in disappointment in the UAE Desert Challenge. Now the New Year will bring a new challenge and I must look ahead to being successful again". The Monaco resident is joined by the Japanese duo of Kenjiro Shinozuka and Hiroshi Masuoka. The latter was robbed of a potential victory on the closing stages through Senegal last year in that much-publicised and televised incident involving the Schlesser-Renault of Spaniard Josep-Marie Servia. But Masuoka and French co-driver Pascal Maimon are doubly third Pajero. Mitsubishi Pajero / Montero Team Nippon Mitsubishi Oil Ralliart K. Shinozuka (right) and T. Delli-Zotti - Talk show during scrutineering - Frenchman Jean-Pierre Fontenay openly prefers the longer desert sections to the short stages through Europe and Morocco, but the former winner and co-driver Gilles Picard will be looking for a victory in the factory Pajero. Portugal's Carlos Sousa and co-driver Victor Jesus are entered in an L200 Pick-Up version and have the experience to cause an upset. "The short sections are a small feature of the Dakar", insists Fontenay. "The important thing is to stay away from problems on the early stages and then ensure that you are competitive in Africa. The stages in Mauritania will be the most difficult, for sure, and this is where the race will be won and lost. It is slightly shorter this year, but still set to be very difficult". Qatar’s Saeed Al-Hajri was the FIA Middle East rally champion in 1984 and 1985 and is tackling the Dakar for the first time. The winner of the 1993 UAE Desert Challenge relishes the prospect and will drive a Mitsubishi L200, partnered by Matthew Stevenson, who has tackled the Dakar as a co-driver with Schlesser, Kleinschmidt and the Kia America team. Mitsubishi Pajero / Montero Team Nippon Mitsubishi Oil Ralliart H. Masuoka (right) / P. Maimon "I am going to be at my happiest in the desert, but I realise that this event is not about who is the most talented with the right foot, it is about using the brain as well. I will drive the car used by Carlos Sousa in 2001 and am excited about the race. I have been ready for four months now counting the days to the start. I have a lot of experience in the desert, but this promises to be a physical challenge as well". Hiroshi Masuoka came so close to winning the Dakar in 2001 and is prepared for the challenge ahead in his new Evolution Pajero. "We have carried out a lot of testing with the new car and are very excited about our chances of winning this year. The Pajero is 100 kgs lighter than the older model, we have a new cooling system and the car jumps very square, which will be useful on the fastest sections. Mitsubishi have fitted six-pot brakes to the front for the first time and we have benefitted from testing and developing the car in Dubai. If I win the race I will dedicate the victory to Ulrich Brehmer (Mitsubishi’s former team manager who died earlier this year).