Shinozuka's Great Start With Mitsubishi in Por Las Pampas

Japanese driver and former Paris-Dakar winner Kenjiro Shinozuka started the Second Cross Country Rally of Argentina "Por Las Pampas" yesterday in his Team PIAA Ralliart Pajero/Montero Evolution and finished the first short competitive section in second place, four minutes behind rally leader Jean-Louis Schlesser, who drives a buggy.

Shinozuka was pleased with his position after the short 88km section which was held on September 21 after a long transport drive the night before from Buenos Aires to Cordoba. The competitive section was held over fast tracks through the Pampas which featured a mixture of sand, gravel and hard surfaces and high-speed corners where speed was more important than traction and handling - the Pajero/Monteros biggest strengths - thus handing the advantage to Schlessers buggy with its straight-line speed.

Said Shinozuka: "I think Schlesser will be pleased to be leading after the first day because it was a high speed course which suits his car better than ours. But the real race starts tomorrow when handling, traction and reliability will be more important and my Pajero is very strong in these areas. I am four minutes behind but this is of no importance today."

The first leg route totalling just 164 km including liaison sections took the 27 starting cars and 17 bikes through the high Pampas regions where spring time is evident but the temperatures still rather low. Starting in Cordoba, the home of rallying in Argentina, the first leg finished yesterday evening in Mina Clavero. Last years Argentina winner, which was the first running of the event, local driver Jorge Recalde, held third place at the rest halt in his Mitsubishi Pajero/Montero, ahead of a group on Toyotas. This is the first time the event has formed a round of the World Cup for Cross Country Rallies.

The Cross Country Rally of Por Las Pampas is the last round of the series in which we will see the legendary, Paris-Dakar winning Mitsubishi Pajero/Montero Evolution in official action, with a brand new model being prepared for the next round, the UAE Desert Challenge. The launch of the new model at this point will form part of Mitsubishis preparations for the worlds biggest cross country rally, the Dakar 2000, which starts on January 6 next year and finishes in Cairo for the first time.