Mitsubishi headed for Dakar win

11 January 2002: With three days to go in the gruelling 5,858 mile Arras – Madrid – Dakar Rally, Mitsubishi hold no less than nine out of the top 10 places.

Hiroshi Masuoka in his Mitsubishi Shogun/Pajero looks to be favourite to win the 24th Dakar as he starts the weekend stages with a 52 second lead over his closest rival, fellow Japanese driver Kenjiro Shonozuka. Last year’s winner, German Jutta Kleinschmidt is currently in third position.

After 13 legs of wet French and Spanish mud, and more recently African sand and scrub, the Dakar now moves into the African Savannah for the final three days of the competition. There are 932 miles still left to run – culminating in the grand finale to the Rose Lake in Dakar on Sunday,

With Shoguns/Pajeros and L200s filling the top nine places with just three day's, a Mitsubishi win looks on the cards for the second consecutive year.

January 2002