The 16th running of the "Dakar" will go down in history as one of the most dramatic and heart-rending ever, with the Mitsubishi team demonstrating a level of honour and integrity unmatched by any other team - and while the leading Pajeros were forced to withdraw, they were the only machines able to cross the notorious "Death Dunes" of the Mauritanian desert.  After overcoming early problems the Pajeros were in pursuit of their prey when they hit the soft dunes of Mauritania. This section of the desert had never been crossed by motorised vehicles before, and quickly Mitsubishi's rivals gave up and headed straight for the bivouac. The Pajeros persisted, headed by Saby, and for 30 hours they battle through with the Pajero becoming the only machine ever to cross this section of desert. Cruelly, their reward was the devastating news that the section had been cancelled - the less persistent crews had got away with it, and too exhausted to continue, the Mitsubishi team was forced to withdraw! With honour and dignity, and the knowledge that with their Pajeros that had achieved what no other could, Mitsubishi enjoyed not only the moral victory, but wins in both the modified and standard production classes with the Pajero.
FINAL CLASSIFICATION1994 Paris - Dakar
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Copyright 1996,1997 by Mitsubishi Motors Corporation.
