How do you see Mitsubishi’s chances of taking its score to eight Dakar wins in a row?
Our success over the years puts pressure on us to maintain the high standards we have achieved in the past. Mitsubishi has contested the Dakar 26 times without missing a single year and our current run totals seven consecutive wins.
That’s a record that speaks for itself and a unique accomplishment in any form of motor sport at this level, but I have mixed feelings about the 2008 event. Generally, we turn up for the start of the Dakar with a car that is either an evolution of the previous year’s model, or else brand new, as in 2007 when the Mitsubishi Pajero/Montero Evolution MPR13 made its debut.
For once, this year’s car is practically identical to the one that won outright in the hands of Stéphane Peterhansel last January. Not only that, but the technical regulations have changed for 2008 and we will be forced to run with a 31mm engine air-restrictor instead of the 32mm restrictor enforced for the 2007 event. The new regulations, which were only released last April, have also forced us to switch from our proven six-speed gearbox to a five-speed box which we have had to design and develop in a very short space of time.
You’ve obviously had to work hard to take these changes into account, yet the MPR13 recently won the 2007 UAE Desert Challenge which many see as a full-scale dress rehearsal for the Dakar. What do you consider to be the MPR13’s principal strengths?
Indeed, as our car has approached the peak of its development potential, we have focused our effort on making it as comfortable and easy to drive as possible by working on the suspension, balance and traction. The 2007 UAE Desert Challenge revealed that our overall package is competitive on sandy terrain and dunes at least, and that’s extremely encouraging for the Dakar’s Mauritanian stages. The reliability of the MPR13 will hopefully also be a factor.
Has what you see as a performance handicap led you to revise your approach the 2008 event?
To overcome the unbalance between the categories, we have sought to prepare a global strategy that will focus more on consistency than on targeting overall stage wins. It will call for a disciplined approach but this is something all our drivers and everyone in the team understands. I think our experience and team spirit count among our main strengths, especially when you couple that with the contribution of the enthusiastic, hard-working staff who operate out of our base in Pont de Vaux and in Japan.
This will be your fourth Dakar with exactly the same driver line-up – Luc Alphand (France), Hiroshi Masuoka (Japan), Stéphane Peterhansel (France) and Nani Roma (Spain). How much of an advantage is that?
Stability is very important. Its leads to a two-way sense of confidence and allows you to involve the drivers more closely as you build and develop. They don’t have to spend their time worrying whether they will have a contract in, say, two months’ time. As a result, they more committed. We form a bonded team and that, too, is essential because constantly having to start from zero in what can be a very individualistic sport can have a disturbing effect. On top of that, our drivers are complementary and very experienced. Three of them share six car wins on the Dakar between them, while Nani has won the event on a motor bike and now has the experience and ability on four wheels to make a real contribution to our overall strategy.
You also place the emphasis on driver and co-driver fitness which includes a year-long training programme. Why is this aspect so important in your eyes?
In addition to the basic benefit of keeping our drivers fit for what is an extremely physically demanding sport, it forges and strengthens bonds and, when the going gets tough, team spirit is essential. On the fitness front, we monitor their progress from year to year. This year’s programme even went a step further by including a particularly punishing hike round the Mont Blanc. The idea was to push the crew members to their physical and mental limits in an extreme environment, and I have to say that they all came through it very well.
The diary continues with more conventional work-outs in Catalonia and then in Brittany as the Dakar approaches. Nani and Luc are both very strong physically, while Stéphane and Hiroshi are consistent and can also count on their mental strength. This overall mix could well turn out to be decisive this year…
What do you think the principal challenge of the 2008 Dakar will be?
It has almost become a tradition for the organisers to mark the landmark events by making them particularly difficult. So, for the 30th anniversary Dakar, I think we can expect a very challenging route through Morocco and Mauritania, although I think the Mauritanian stages will be the toughest test. Our crews and everyone in the team are very experienced, so that will obviously be a big ‘plus’ for Repsol Mitsubishi Ralliart, while the Pajero/Montero Evolution’s reliability also promises to be a big asset for us.
Who do you see as your main opposition this year?
Clearly, Volkswagen has a very strong line-up with Sainz and de Villiers, and the team combines performance with the understanding of the Dakar it has gradually built up. And I don’t think we can forget the BMW operation which benefits from factory support, a strong engine and some experienced drivers. And there’s no way anyone should overlook Schlesser.
You expect a tough route and strong competition from your rivals. What influence will that have on your strategy?
Without wanting to give anything way, let me just repeat that our experience and team spirit are two of our major strengths. The 2007 Dakar showed once again that the priority is consistency and not necessarily taking stage wins. The thing about an event like the Dakar is that the crews are more or less on their own during the stages and are not always aware of what is going on around them in terms of what the competition is doing. This calls for a great sense of discipline and our drivers are very conscious of that.
