Mitsubishi will test High Performance Clean Diesel engines in Dakar 2009

Dec 10th 2007 at 7:31PM
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The 2009 Dakar race will be the longest ever, so having an improved and powerful diesel under the hood is something Mitsubishi is probably quite happy to have. That these new diesel powerplants are also being called "clean diesels" is something the rest of us can cheer.

Mitsubishi announced today that the"High Performance Clean Diesel" engines will be used in improved versions of the Pajero Evolution used in the 2008 Dakar event. Mitsubishi CEO Osama Masuko is looking to extend Mitsubishi's string of victories, but VW is just one of the competitors that isn't going to let them win easily. Mitsubishi car buyers might be the real winners here, because Masuko also "announced that the event will be providing essential technical feedback for the all-new range of high performance clean diesel engines, which have been confirmed will make their debut at the Dakar in 2009," according to the press release pasted after the jump.
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[Source: Mitsubishi]

MITSUBISHI'S HIGH PERFORMANCE CLEAN DIESEL ENGINES RACE FOR DAKAR SUCCESS
  • Mitsubishi announces High Performance Clean Diesel engines to compete in Dakar 2009
  • 2008 Dakar Pajero Evolution improved, even under new technical restrictions
  • Mitsubishi's CEO, Osama Masuko, looks for record-breaking 8th consecutive Dakar victory
Mitsubishi is preparing to defend its 8 consecutive victories[1] in the toughest endurance race on the planet, the Dakar 2008.[2]

Mitsubishi's CEO, Osama Masuko, has also announced that the event will be providing essential technical feedback for the all-new range of high performance clean diesel engines, which have been confirmed will make their debut at the Dakar in 2009.

Feedback on both durability and endurance data is essential for the manufacturer's revolutionary development of clean diesel engines to be seen in a number of future production models.[3]

The Repsol Mitsubishi Ralliart Team has also been making final preparations for the 2008 event, with testing in Morocco and Tunisia. Even under the tight new performance handicap regulations of reduced engine air-restrictor[4] and obligatory switch from six- to five-speed gear box, Masuko added that this work produced multiple gains in terms of transmission endurance, suspension and handling. As a result, the overall performance is even stronger than it was for the Dakar 2007.



1] A win in 2008 would take Mitsubishi's overall tally to 13 wins from 26 starts
[2] Formerly known as the Paris-Dakar Rally
[3] Clean diesel engines have also been seen in Mitsubishi's Concept-cX and Concept-RA
[4] The diameter of the engine air-restrictor has been reduced from 32mm to 31mm.

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