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| 10 December 2004 |
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MITSUBISHI MOTORS (THAILAND) CO., LTD. ANNOUNCED
ITS INTENTION OF ENTERING THE 2005 DAKAR RALLY
Mitsubishi Motors builds on its motor sports success by sending Thailand's number one rally driver team: "Pornsawan Siriwattanakun" and his favorite navigator "Pornthep Sukahuta" to participate in "Telefonica Barcelona - Dakar 2005"
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Mitsubishi Racing Truck Evolution
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Mitsubishi Motors (Thailand) Co., Ltd. announced its intention of entering
the 2005 Dakar Rally on December 10th, 2004.
Mitsubishi Motors (Thailand) Co., Ltd. and its business alliances, including Sammitr Motors Group, Caltex (Thailand) Co., Ltd, and Brave Heart International Public Company Limited, together with the Tourism and Sports Ministry; move on to support Mr. Pornsawan Siriwattanakun, the number one rally driver of Thailand, and Mr. Pornthep Sukahuta, his navigator, to participate in the 27th "Telefonica Barcelona - Dakar 2005" to be held during January 1-16, 2005, at Barcelona, in Spain.
The purpose of sending Thai driver team to Dakar 2005 is to bring about fame to Thailand, and to promote the image of Mitsubishi as motor sports leader who always supports Dakar Rally. At the same time, the information collected from the scene will be used to improve its car for higher performance.
Sending representatives from Thailand to attend this competition receives additional support from Mitsubishi Motors Corporation, Japan, and Mitsubishi Motors (Thailand) Co., Ltd. They help developing racing cars especially for the 27th Dakar Rally. They also support the experienced services team of the same standard as the one taking care of maintenance at the scene for Mitsubishi Motors Team, budgets and expenses of the drivers and working team.
Mr. Hisayoshi Kumai, President & CEO of Mitsubishi Motors (Thailand) Co., Ltd., reveals "This same time of every year is the great time for all of us at Mitsubishi. I'm proud that Mitsubishi Motors Thailand contributes to the fame of our nation. This kind of event is considered our duty to support Thai drivers to go to the world class rallies. We have always been hearing good news, or victory, every time. This victory brings about fame to Thailand. Moreover, this event is a good chance for us to send our cars to the rally renowned for its arduous weather and route of all kinds from burning hot desert to faraway small villages. These situations prove and test the performance of our cars. The information and the test result in this real situation will be studied later to improve Mitsubishi to be strong and durable for excellent performance for our clients in every country worldwide, including in Thailand."
Mr. Pornsawan Siriwattanakun is still the number one in rally industry. He is selected to be the representative of Thailand in Telefonica Barcelona - Dakar 2005. He has gained a lot of experience from this arduous rally by being in one in Mitsubishi Motors Thailand Team for 6 times. He devotes himself for the hard work both in theory and practice with kind support from the experienced working team from both Mitsubishi Thailand and Japan. Based on his victory in T2 overall in 1995 due to a Thai navigator, this time Mr. Pornsawan decides to work with Mr. Pornthep Sukahuta, who won uncountable awards from rallies, to record Thailand in the hall of motor sports fame again, as he did last year.
The race will start at Barcelona, in Spain. The adventurous route of over 10,000 km. crossing Morocco, Mauritania, Mali and ends at Dakar, the capital city of Senegal. To see how well the Thai driver team and their Mitsubishi cars work during January 1 and 16, 2005 at ...(Thai Media it's dealing with Brave Heart).... or www.dakar.com
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Thailand Team
| Training advisor
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Mr. Jean Pierre Fontenay
(Mitsubishi Motor Sport) |
| Driver |
Mr. Pornsawan Siriwattanakun more |
| Navigator (co-driver) |
Mr. Porntep Sukahutamore |
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Mitsubishi Thailand celebrates the great success of its motor sports team during 2004 while introducing the latest rally model developed for Mr. Pornsawan to compete in " 2005 Dakar Rally"
Mitsubishi Motors (Thailand) Co., Ltd. celebrates the success throughout the year 2004 of the 4 racing team sponsored by Mitsubishi, and sends Mitsubishi Ralliart Thailand team, consisting of Mr. Pornsawan Siriwattanakun, Thailand's number one driver, and Mr. Pornthep Sukahuta, his navigator, together with Mitsubishi Racing Truck Evolution, developed for Thai racing team to compete in "Telefonica Barcelona-Dakar 2005," during January 1-16, 2005, covering route from Barcelona, Spain to Dakar, Senegal.
Mr. Hisayoshi Kumai, President & CEO of Mitsubishi Motors (Thailand) Co., Ltd., the manufacturer and distributor of Mitsubishi automobiles in Thailand, revealed: "I am glad about the success of 4 Mitsubishi racing teams during this whole year. In addition, I am proud that Mitsubishi Motors (Thailand) has always contributed to motor sports. It is our duty to support Thai racers by entering them in the world-class rally to bring fame to Thailand. It is also a good chance for us to send our automobiles to the rally renowned for its arduous weather and route of all kinds from burning hot deserts to faraway small villages. This proves and tests the performance of our Mitsubishi automobiles. The data and results of the actual test will be studied later to develop Mitsubishi automobiles to have power, excellent performance, and durability for our customers in every country worldwide, including Thailand, for sure."
The company has been supporting motor sports in Thailand continuously. Therefore, the name of Mitsubishi Motor Sports team is recognized as one of the top. The company has focused on developing automobiles and training to increase experience and skills of the racing teams. At present, Mitsubishi has 4 racing teams. The first team is the circuit racing team, led by Mr. Piti Bhirombhakdi.. For the cross-country rally, there are 2 teams. The first team is led by Mr. Chayus Youngpichit. The second one is the team of Mitsubishi Ralliart. And the last team is the rally racing team led by Mr. Chatchai Chaloeywares. These 4 teams have entered in many local races and won consecutive victory. In addition, this is the 7th year Mitsubishi Motors has been supporting Thai National Team to enter the international rally. We send Mr. Pornsawan Siriwattanakun, the number one rally driver of Thailand who has competed in the arduous Dakar rally in the name of Mitsubishi Ralliart Thailand for 6 times. In 2005 Dakar Rally to be held during the beginning of 2005, Mr. Pornsawan will join hands with Mr. Pornthep Sukahuta, his co-driver, who won victory from uncountable rallies. This team is formed to record Thailand in motor sports history once again.
As for 2005 Dakar Rally, Mitsubishi Motors (Thailand) Co., Ltd. cooperates with Mitsubishi Motors Corporation, Japan, to prepare a special racing automobile called Mitsubishi Racing Truck Evolution, developed from the latest technology of Pajero / Montero Evolution, which is Mitsubishi's best rally automobile winning the first position in The race. The DOHC diesel engine of 16 valves, 3,200 cc., DI-D, and Öhlins® shock absorbers is used to increase its performance while driving on sand. Its intake and exhaust systems are also modified to ensure more torque. As for its design, the structure of Mitsubishi Racing Truck Evolution is modified for more strength and more curves according to Aerodynamics. This automobile is especially designed for Thai racers to drive in this race. This punishing course not only proves the potential of Thai National Team and working team, but also acts as the most suitable battle field to test the latest innovation automobile of Mitsubishi. In the future, Mitsubishi Racing Truck Evolution will certainly play important role in Thai pick-up market.
Mitsubishi Motors Corporation, Japan, sends its racing teams to compete in this race, together with a total of 5 automobiles. Mr. Hiroshi Masuoka, the ex-champion, leads the teams. Four of the automobiles are Pajero / Montero Evolution and one is Mitsubishi Strada special. Moreover, the company supports thai teams by providing them with the services team of the same standard as that of the racing teams of its mother company in Japan, to help facilitating 2 Thai racers from the start until the end of the race. Mr. Pornsawan Siriwattanakun and Mr. Pornthep Sukahuta talks about their confidence in the services team from the Japanese factory. They said: "The services team of the mother company is one of the top professional working teams. Among the Mitsubishi racing teams, we, as the representatives from Thailand, receive kind cooperation about the services team exactly the same as the Japanese team. This helps increasing our confidence in this race. Based on our experience during the past years, if we face any technical problems during the race, it is necessary for us to depend on the assistance from the team of expert technicians with high experience."
For those interested in following up the feat of Thai racing team and their Mitsubishi
automobiles during January 1-16, 2005, please visit www.mitsubishi-motors.co.th
or www.dakar.com .
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Overview of the new "Mitsubishi Racing Truck Evolution"
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Mitsubishi Racing Truck Evolution
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The Mitsubishi Pajero / Montero Evolution is the ultimate in rally cars. Technologies developed by Mitsubishi Motors in the punishing conditions of the Dakar Rally and the FIA Cross Country Rally World Cup are focused in this single expression of power and grace. In 2002, "Super Production" regulations were put into place, and the Pajero Evolution has complied since. Final testing and fine-tuning for the 2005 Dakar Rally is all but complete, as demonstrated by Hiroshi Masuoka driving his Pajero / Montero Evolution to first overall in the UAE Desert Challenge 2004*.
The new "Mitsubishi Racing Truck Evolution" is based on the ultimate in technology of the above Pajero / Montero Evolution. However, the designs and geometry were significantly changed and combined with the durability and other advances gained from the production of pick-ups to forge a rally machine optimized for taking the potential performance of a pick-up to its extreme. Mitsubishi Motors actively participates in this rally and others so that it can reflect the acquired technologies and know-how into its actual production models and pass them on to the real winners, the customers. Based on this philosophy, this new "Mitsubishi Racing Truck Evolution" is also a test bed and is integral to the development of future models.
This new "Mitsubishi Racing Truck Evolution" will replace the L200 rally truck, which the Ralliart Thai team drove in 2004. With these new specifications, the new "Racing Truck Evolution" gives the team a chance to finish even higher.
Technology Overview
The new "Mitsubishi Racing Truck Evolution" was developed around the "Super Production" regulations. Over 20 years of experience gained by Mitsubishi Motors in the Dakar Rally was combined with the latest in technology, giving rise to the shape of the most advanced cross-country rally truck.
A tubular frame structure gives the body rigidity while keeping it light. The ground clearance is higher, due in part to a long suspension stroke. It complements the all-wheel independent suspension system riding on Öhlins® shock absorbers to deliver excellent agility and drivability. Compared to the L200, the surface area is smaller, resulting in a considerable improvement in terms of aerodynamics. The new "Mitsubishi Racing Truck Evolution" uses a front midship engine layout to achieve a low center of gravity and optimal front-rear weight distribution. The engine is based on Mitsubishi Motors' popular 4M41 3.2-liter turbocharged diesel engine. Modifications to the intake and exhaust systems ensure more torque virtually throughout the entire range. Together, the engine and Mitsubishi Motors' skilled 4WD system will realize superlative levels of dominating performance in the desert.
* The Pajero / Montero Evolution that Masuoka drove in the UAE Desert Challenge 2004 was based on the 2004 Dakar Rally model with some modifications for 2005 Dakar Rally. Stéphane Peterhansel drove 2005 model of the Pajero / Montero Evolution.
MITSUBISHI RACING TRUCK EVOLUTION SPECIFICATIONS:
| Engine:
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MITSUBISHI 3.2DI-D
4-cylinder DOHC 16-valve turbocharged diesel engine |
| Displacement (cc): |
3,200 |
| Clutch: |
Single-disk AP Racing clutch |
| Gearbox: |
5-speed manual with transfer |
| Chassis: |
Tubular space frame |
| Body: |
Carbon-kevlar body |
| Suspensions: |
| Front:
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Double wishbone
2 coil-over Öhlins® shock absorbers |
| Rear:
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Multi-link
2 coil-over Öhlins® shock absorbers |
| Steering: |
Rack-and-pinion short-ratio |
| Brakes: |
Front:
Diameter (mm):
Caliper: |
ALCON ventilated disk
325
ALCON 4-piston |
Rear:
Diameter (mm):
Caliper: |
ALCON ventilated disk
325
ALCON 4-piston |
| Wheels and tires: |
Wheels:
Tires: |
16" magnesium Technomagnesio
BF Goodrich G1 |
| Dimensions: |
Overall length (mm):
Overall width (mm):
Overall height (mm):
Wheelbase (mm):
Front overhang (mm):
Rear overhang (mm):
Front wheel track (mm):
Rear wheel track (mm): |
4,354
2,000
1,848
2,780
742
822
1,686
1,724 |
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