The Dakar 2009 has already started. Mitsubishi presented the new car, the Mitsubishi Racing Lancer, that it will attempt to get another victory in the legendary raid with at the Paris Car Show this morning. The premiere of the spectacular Racing Lancer was made accompanied by eight drivers and co-drivers from the official Repsol Mitsubishi Ralliart Team: Stéphane Peterhansel and Jean Paul Cottret, Luc Alphand and Gilles Picard, Hiroshi Masuoka and Pascal Maimon, and “Nani” Roma and Lucas Cruz; as well as the team director, Dominique Serieys, and the president of the MMSP, Osamu Nakayama.
The objective is clear: to get the first ever victory in a diesel-powered car in next year`s Dakar. To achieve this Mitsubishi Motors Corporation has developed, in collaboration with Repsol, this new Racing Lancer, and four of these vehicles will be prepared for the start in Buenos Aires on January 3rd. The development of this new turbocharged engine started back in April 2006 and went on until June last year when the Montero Evolution had its first field trials. Two months later the rest of the car`s development began, this was completed in June this year. After doing several different types of tests,in France, as well as Spain and Morocco, the Racing Lancer will make its competition debut on 30th October in the sixth round of the FIA Bajas Cup, in Portalegre (Portugal), driven by the Frenchman Stéphane Peterhansel.
The Racing Lancer uses the latest engine technology and allows Repsol to carry out the development of biodiesel fuel from sources that are not apt for human consumption. The design is based on the Lancer Sportback; the engine is a 3 litre V-six diesel turbo-charged unit. The car is built around a new multi-tubular steel chassis designed to be as light as possible and with as much space as can practically be created in the cabin, this is due to the longer wheelbase (a measure due to the new regulations that come into force in 2010). This has allowed the posuition of the fuel tank to be lowered, and this at the same time lowers the car`s centre of gravity.
The 31st edition of the Dakar Rally will start on 3rd January in Buenos Aires and will finish in the Argentinian capital after almost 6 000km of timed special sections. With the presentation of the new Racing Lancer the countdown to the raid has started; with this new car the Repsol Mitsubishi Ralliart Team is now ready to carry on making history in the toughest race in the world.
SPECIFICATIONS: RACING LANCER
OVERALL LENGTH: 4475mm
OVERALL WIDTH: 1990mm
WHEEL BASE: 2900mm
FRONT TRACK: 1750mm
REAR TRACK: 1750mm
OVERALL WEIGHT: 1900kg
ENGINE MODEL: 6-cylinder Turbodiesel 24-Valve with dry-sump oil system
FUEL SYSTEM: Common rail high pressure injection
DISPLACEMENT: 2997cc
MAXIMUM OUTPUT: 206kw (280 PS), 650Nm (66.3 kgfm)
FUEL TANK CAPACITY: Undecided
TRANSMISSION: 5-speed ‘Ricardo’-type, sequential shift gearbox and mechanical gear selection
4WD SYSTEM: Full time, mechanical center diff lock
FRONT DIFF: ‘Ricardo’ self-locking differential
REAR DIFF: ‘Ricardo’ self-locking differential
SUSPENSION – FRONT: Independent, double wishbones, coil spring
SUSPENSION – REAR: Independent, double wishbones, coil spring and anti-roll bar system
DAMPERS: ‘BOS’ fully-adjustable damping
STEERING: Power-assisted rack & pinion
WHEEL STROKE: 250 mm front and rear
BRAKES: ‘BREMBO’ Front and rear Ventilated discs with 6-piston calipers
WHEELS: ‘OZ’ aluminum (7JJ x 16)
TYRES: BF Goodrich (245/80 – 16)
OTHER: Aeronautic steel multi-tubular frame, Honeycomb body floor and carbon fiber body
