The Rally Dakar is about to start, this year is its 30th anniversary, and at the same time the Repsol and Mitsubishi teams are facing the challenge of getting their 4th consecutive victory in the African rally. With this in mind the Team Repsol Mitsubishi Ralliart has entered 4 cars and drivers in the Rally Dakar 2008, and so the Japanese manufacturer will AIM to be the first to reach a new record of 13 victories in 26 years of participations there, and its 8th consecutive victory.
Mitsubishi, who participated in this African endurance test for the first time in 1983, has not been beaten since the start of the new millenium and has entered four cars, the latest version of the Montero Evolution the MPR13l for the 16 days that the Dakar 2008 lasts. It starts in Lisbon on Saturday 5th January and ends at the Pink Lake, close to Dakar in Senegal, on Sunday 20th January.
One of the Team Repsol Mitsubishi Ralliart 2008’s strongpoints is the fact that the lineup has not changed for the second year on the trot. The team is headed by the previous winners Stephane Peterhansel/Jean-Paul Cottret (France), Hiroshi Masuoka/Pascal Maimon (Japan/France), Luc Alphand/Gilles Picard (France) and Joan “Nani” Roma who finished 3rd in 2006, with the same co-driver Lucas Cruz (Spain).
As the youngest member of the team and the most recent recruit, Nani Roma 35, admits that he has less experience in the Dakar than his teammates, but he thinks that he has made good progress since last year’s race. “I think I have improved significantly in terms of speed,” says the Spaniard who finished the Transiberian and Baja España rallies in second place in 2007, after fighting hard on the Portuguese stages with the two times WRC winner Carlos Sainz. “I still need more experience on sand and camelgrass. I feel that that I am learning fast, but it is difficult to practise on this type of terrain the rest of the year and unfortunately once again my race in Dubai was shorter than I wanted .”
“When you finish on the podium just a few seconds behind the winner, like in 2006, it is easy to see yourself as a potential winner the following year. However you have to keep your feet on the ground: success does not come overnight, not for Stephane, Luc or Hiroshi. Having said that I think I am capable of staying in the leading group and I will do my best to take any chance that comes up, but I know that it will not be easy. One advantage in my favour is that it will be my second Dakar with Lucas as co-driver. It was not easy for him to occupy this position either in 2007, and in a certain way we have grown and improved together this year and he has received a lot of help from the other co-drivers. In fact, this is one of the best features of the Repsol Mitsubishi Ralliart Team: we are an authentic team. I am not referring just to the drivers, I include everybody. It is not enough to be a good driver, it is essential to have talented engineers, designers, experts and all of them motivated, ready to work hard and repair the car at night after each stage …”
Stéphane Peterhansel, 42, was the second person to win two categories of this race, on two and four wheels, when he won for the first time with Mitsubishi in 2004. This time he will be seeking to repeat his success in 2007 and to get his 4th victory at the wheel of a Mitsubishi Montero. “Nobody says it will be easy but I now have another year’s experience under the belt, I will be with the same co-driver and the same car that that won last year, so it is not like starting from scratch” commented the Frenchman. “The truth is that the new technical regulations for 2008 (5 speed gearbox and not 6, and a 31mm manifold pipe and not 32mm) harms the MPR13 in term of performance, but we have been working all year on the chassis and on driving comfort, and there are many reasons to be positive about our chances, in spite of our opponents also having a high level.”
“With long distances to be covered in 2008 reliability promises to be crucial, and my recent victory in the Dubai with the Mitsubishi has been a great motivation for this type of terrain. In spite of the Dakar race in Mauritania and the UAE Desert Challenge seeming to be similar they are quite different. The Dakar requires a faster more sustained pace, and at the same time we are more familiarised with the terrain. Consequently it is easier to foresee the danger and adjust your speed. Calibrating exactly how fast you can go is more than instinct, and that is where experience comes into play…”
In fact, Peterhansel and his co-driver are one of the most experienced couples in the Dakar 2008, Cottret will start for the 24th time, whilst Alphand’s co-driver, Gilles Picard who previously rode motorbikes, will begin his 20th – shared equally between two and four wheels… “It is not just our experience that counts, although the team that we have is incredibly experienced and strong, from the engineers, technicians, mechanics, to the managers. They are all very well prepared people in their respective fields and are authentic fans of this sport. Another of our strengths are the strong links between drivers and co-drivers.We are a team that sticks together and our objective is to work together to try and win once again.”
The ex World Downhill Ski Champion, Luc Alphand 42, who won the Dakar in 2006 and was 2nd behind Peterhansel in 2005 and 2007, echos his teammates analysis. “Team spírit and solidarity are essential,” he emphasises. “You never know when it is your turn to need help, especially now that the route in 2008 promises to be very tough. Reliability is also the key to getting a good result, as it always is. Having said that you cannot sit back in your seat and wait for your rival to get into problems. You have to fight to be up with the leaders and not lose sight of anybody because there are few chances to make up lost time and to get your breath back in the Dakar. That is why it is important to be part of the leading group in Morocco before reaching the crux of the rally, which for me are the marathon stages in Mauritania. This is why our victory in the UAE Desert Challenge, which in some ways is similar to the Western Sahara, is a really good motivation. Obviously we cannot make too many conclusions from our performance in Dubai on such a tough terrain, but we were very competitive and Stephane and I led the race. Now I am dying for the Dakar to start. I am optimistic and we are all in good form after our program for physical preparation and above all, as I said before, we are a very tight team.”
The Dakar 2008 will be Horishi Masuoka’s 21st, and what is more he has won two times, in 2002 (with his current co-driver Pascal Maimon) and in 2003. “I think that it is time for the “Samurai” Masuoka to add another victory to his curriculum” says the experieced 47 year old driver smiling. “I would love to get the 8th victory for the Montero, its 13th, although this impressive record is above all due to the whole Repsol Mitsubishi Ralliart Team and its inner strength. In spite of this number of victories, each event is taken as a completely new challenge, and so I will do everything to win again. There will be a lot of pressure on us and we have strong rivals like the VW and BMW teams, so it will not be easy and I am sure it will be a tough fight.”
“The rumour going around is that there will be more sand and dunes in the Dakar 2008,” he goes on. “That obviously makes it more difficult, but on the other hand the change may help the Montero which is very good on this type of terrain. Personally I enjoy competing on sand a lot too, especially after the good work the team did on the MPR13 during the training sessions in Africa this year. The car has improved all-round, starting with the suspension. But whilst the engine was not able to be developed any more the whole set up has undergone a good evolution. Naturally the engineers have had to adapt it to the new regulations and so we have been obliged to use a 5 speed gearbox. The ratios had to be studied thoroughly. But I think the result is very satisfactory. And in fact it may even be an improvement.”
The team Director, the Frenchman Dominique Serieys, can’t wait for the challenge of fighting for the 8th consecutive victory in the Dakar, but he admits that it will not be easy. “For the XXX anniversary of the Dakar I think we will get a very tough route through Morocco and Mauritania, although I think that the stages in Mauritania will be the toughest stages,” he reckons. “Our teams and all the team members are very experienced, which is a big advantage for Repsol Mitsubishi Ralliart, the reliability of the Montero Evolution also promises to be an important asset for us. However, the effect of the new rules will have to be seen.” Dominique Serieys is clearly aware of how high the driver quality is this year and there will be strong adversaries in the race. “Volkswagen has a great lineup with Carlos Sainz and Villiers. We should not forget about BMW either, who have support from the factory and has very experienced drivers. And we must not forget about Schlesser.”
For the third consecutive year the Rally Dakar will start in the capital of Portugal, Lisbon. The verification and checking of all relevant documents will take place on 2nd January, and the competition will get under way with a prologue in Portugal (it is estimated that 1 million people watched the two prologue stages in 2007), before all the participants, motorbikes, cars and trucks cross the Mediterranean to begin the first stage in Morocco.
The organisers promise 10% extra on the stages in 2008, a total competition distance of 4 800km instead of the 4 300km last year. The timed sections will also be longer whilst the liaisons will be shorter. In addition to the traditional stony ground in Morocco this is followed by sand and dunes in Mauritania and the rest day in Nouakchott on 13th January, a day to regain strength before the final part of the race beckons. The race ends at the PInk Lake near Dakar, Senegal, on Sunday 20th January 2008.
LINEUP OF THE REPSOL MITSUBISHI RALLIART TEAM – RALLY DAKAR 2008
Luc Alphand (F)/Gilles Picard (F) Mitsubishi Montero Evolution
Stephane Peterhansel (F)/Jean-Paul Cottret (F) Mitsubishi Montero Evolution
Hiroshi Masuoka (J)/Pascal Maimon (F) Mitsubishi Montero Evolution
Joan Roma (E)/Lucas Cruz Senra (E) Mitsubishi Montero Evolution
