Dakar 1992

PARIS-SIRTE-LE CAP 1992

It was the longest, most ambitious and definitely the biggest challenge ever - the Paris - Sirte - Cape Town took the brave entrants into the unknown through 11 African countries in the first ever transcontinental raid. In addition to the now familiar desert, bush and Savannah sections, the crews and cars were faced with jungle, mud and river crossings and narrow tracks. Those were the planned hazards - there was also a civil warand countless other hazards! Quite correctly, Sonauto Mitsubishi team boss Ullrich Brehmer predicted that the rally would be won or lost in the desert, for thereafter the narrow tracks would severely hamper a losing team as they tried to overtake. The three Prototype Pajeros set off through Libya with this in mind, with ex-motorbike expert Hubert Auriol joined in the team by Kenjiro Shinozuka and German Erwin Weber, they followed the team strategy to the letter, and when the reached the forbidding Tenere desert in Niger, the ultimate challenge began to take shape. A tremendous sandstorm, the greatest fear of any driver and navigator, descended on the desert that day and the backup team waited in Dirkou, Niger, to see who would first emerge from the dust clouds. A cheer went up as first Auriol, then Weber and finally Shinozuka blasted into sight. Brehmer could hardly conceal his glee as he congratulated each of the Pajero drivers on their arrival! For the rest of the event, the Mitsubishi team had simply to rely upon the Pajero's legendary durability and the skills of the back-up technicians - virtues that, with Mitsubishi, are never in question! So it was, after surviving a re-route due to a localised civil war in Chad the following day, where the back-up crews had to jump into 'planes at the last minute in scenes reminiscent of the fall of Saigon to avoid trouble, that Mitsubishi eventually arrived triumphant in the South African town of Cape Town two weeks later with the Pajeros filling the first three positions. It was an historic occasion, this being the first international sporting event to finish in the country after its acceptance back into the world after political reform, and for Mitsubishi, one of its crowning glories with a 1-2-3 victory that had never been seen before, and is unlikely to be repeated by any manufacturer again. The Mitsubishi Pajero was officially crowned the best off-road car ever!

FINAL CLASSIFICATION

1992 Paris - Sirte - CapeTown

Pos.	Car No.	Driver	Manufacture	Total Time
1.	211	Auriol	MITSUBISHI/PAJERO	20:42'30
2.	210	Weber	MITSUBISHI/PAJERO	00:04'53
3.	213	Shinozuka	MITSUBISHI/PAJERO	00:18'52
4.	204	Waldegard	Citroen	01:20'42
5.	203	Vatanen	Citroen	02:25'09
6.	205	Ickx	Citroen	04:08'46
7.	206	Lartigue	Citroen	04:49'12
8.	208	Servia	Lada Samara	05:12'54
9.	207	Ambrosino	Citroen	05:37'07
10.	221	Wambergue	Toyota HZJ 73	07:34'38

N° 161	Pilote	Andrew Cowan	GB	Classée 11 au général	Classée 1 en Marathon
	Co-Pilote	Colin Malkin	GB
N° 162	Pilote	Georges Debussy	FR	Classée 14 au général	Classée 2 en Marathon
	Co-Pilote	Jacques Delaval	FR
N° 217	Pilote	Tony Fowke	GB	Abandon	Abandon
	Co-Pilote	Pierre Saint-Jean	FR
N° 218	Pilote	Bernard Maingret	FR	Classée 30 au général	Classée 5 en Marathon
	Co-Pilote	Louis Blin	FR