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33
MITSUBISHI MOTORS CORPORATION
Annual Report 2005
For more than 30 years, Mitsubishi Motors has consis-
tently risen to the challenge of international rally events
and other motor sports events. Building on the lessons
learned in each event, MMC has made steady progress
every year and chalked up a sparkling list of victories.
For MMC, motorsports is an activity that embodies the
Mitsubishi brand image of “powerful, sporty and
dynamic.” Participation in events such as the FIA World
Rally Championship (WRC) and the Dakar Rally has given
MMC opportunities to push its cars to the limit. The skills
and technology developed in these activities have become
integrated into all production vehicles MMC sells.
Furthermore, MMC is working to produce vehicles that
offer not only on and off-road performance but are safe
and durable.
Going forward, through continued involvement in
motorsports, MMC is determined to display its technical
excellence, teamwork, and unwavering passion to strive for
high goals.
Dakar Rally 2005: A Historic Fifth Consecutive Win and
Tenth Overall Title
MMC first entered the Dakar Rally in 1983. The 2005
event marked the 23rd consecutive year of MMC’s
participation. The winner was Frenchman Stéphane
Peterhansel, driving a Mitsubishi
Pajero Evolution
. For
Mitsubishi Motors, his win marked a historic fifth
consecutive win and our tenth victory overall.
Dakar Rally Victories (Top Ten Placements, Cars)
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
1. Jutta Kleinschmidt 2. Hiroshi Masuoka 5. Carlos Sousa 6. Jean-Pierre Fontenay
1. Hiroshi Masuoka 2. Jutta Kleinschmidt 3. Kenjiro Shinozuka 4. Jean-Pierre Fontenay 5. Carlos Sousa
6. Saeed Al Hajri 7. Luc Alphand 8. Klever Kolberg 10. Nicolas Misslin
1. Hiroshi Masuoka 2. Jean-Pierre Fontenay 3. Stéphane Peterhansel 4. Carlos Sousa 10. Jose-Luis Monterde
1. Stéphane Peterhansel 2. Hiroshi Masuoka 5. Andrea Mayer 10. Nasser-Saleh Al-Attiyah
1. Stéphane Peterhansel 2. Luc Alphand 6. Joan ‘Nani’ Roma
Motor Sports
MITSUBISHI MOTORS CORPORATION
33
Annual Report 2005
WRC 2005 (Mexico)
Dakar 2005 featured a 17-day rally staged over a
course stretching approximately 9,000km from Barcelona,
Spain, to the traditional finish in Dakar, Senegal. The event
was a severe test, with ferocious sandstorms and marathon
stages forcing competitors to drop out one after another.
Peterhansel won the rally for the second year running. In
second place was Luc Alphand, another Frenchman, in a
Mitsubishi
Pajero Evolution
. Once again, the race showed
the overwhelming power of the Mitsubishi team.
World Rally Championship (WRC)
From its inception in 1973 until 2002, Mitsubishi Motors,
achieved a total of 34 victories in WRC events. Driving a
Mitsubishi
Lancer Evolution
, Tommi Makkinen of Finland
became the first to win four drivers’ titles in succession in
1996–1999, a period that also included MMC winning
the prestigious manufacturers’ title in 1998. MMC took a
break from the sport in 2003 to focus on intensive vehicle
development, but returned in 2004 with a new three-year
strategy for the WRC. In 2005, three drivers (Harri
Rovanperä of Finland, Gilles Panizzi of France and
Gianluigi ‘Gigi’ Galli of Italy) are competing to return to
the podium.
In the related Production World Rally Championship
(PWRC), in which few vehicle modifications from standard
commercial specifications are allowed, the
Lancer
Evolution
won six out of seven stages in the 2004 event, a
feat that testifies to the fundamental capabilities of
MMC’s production vehicles.
MOTOR SPORTS
Dakar Rally 2005 victory celebrations.Dakar Rally 2005 (14th stage [Mali–Senegal])WRC 2005 (Monte Carlo)