A 6TH CONSECUTIVE WIN AS PREPARATION FOR DAKAR 2008
The fifth and final round of the 2007 FIA Cross-Country Rally World Cup takes Repsol Mitsubishi Ralliart crews to Dubai for the UAE Desert Challenge. This will give the team a final chance to prepare competitively for the 2008 Dakar. Three Pajero/Montero Evolution MPR13s have entered for the six-day event, which will take them over 2,210km of rough terrain.
Mitsubishi has contested the UAE Desert Challenge every year since 1992 and the team has gone undefeated since 2002 thanks to a score of three wins for Stéphane Peterhansel (2002, 2003 and 2005) and a win each for Hiroshi Masuoka (2004) and Luc Alphand (2006). It is also here that the Pajero/Montero Evolution MPR13 made its debut last November before going on to claim the 2007 Dakar.
Repsol Mitsubishi Ralliart and Luc Alphand are still both in contention for their respective Cross-Country Rally World Cups. The Japanese carmaker is only four points behind the leader in the provisional Manufacturers’ standings, while the Frenchman is just six points short of the Drivers’ crown with 15 points up for grabs for the winner in both categories in Dubai.
Stéphane Peterhansel has significant experience of the UAE Desert Challenge. In addition to his early participations on two wheels, he has won it three times for Mitsubishi and was runner-up to teammate Alphand last season. "This rally tends to be similar in style from year to year," he acknowledges, "but you can never be entirely sure what a dune is going to do, and that’s where the experience factor comes in. As usual, this year’s event will be a great way to prepare for the Dakar, especially since the 2008 route features plenty of sand and dunes."
"Last but not least, it will be a valuable chance to measure the effect that the changes to the technical regulations, governing petrol engines, have had on the car on an event for which we benefit from good benchmarks," points out Repsol Mitsubishi Ralliart Team Sporting Director Dominique Serieys.
