THE CENTRAL EUROPE RALLY, THE FIRST EVENT OF THE NEW DAKAR SERIES

Following the unfortunate cancellation of the 2008 Dakar, Mitsubishi Motors Corporation and its motor sport arm MMSP are pleased to announce that Team Repsol Mitsubishi Ralliart will participate in the inaugural Central Europe Rally. The driver line-up will feature Luc Alphand/Gilles, Picard (France), Hiroshi Masuoka/Pascal Maimon (Japan/France), Stéphane Peterhansel/Jean-Paul Cottret (France) and Joan Nani Roma/Lucas Cruz (Spain), who had all been entered to compete in the 2008 Dakar, in super-production specification Pajero/Montero Evolutions.

The Central Europe Rally is due to start in Budapest, Hungary, on Sunday April 20, and its program includes seven competitive sections in Hungary and Romania before the finish beside Lake Balaton on Saturday April 26. The total distance of the event is 3,061km, including 1,570km of against-the-clock action. This event is not intended to replace the Dakar which, from 2009 and beyond, will remain the flagship fixture alongside the other Dakar Series competitions organized in the course of the season. The Central Europe Rally is the first event to be run within the framework of this series.