Team Repsol Mitsubishi Ralliart succeeded in making an outstanding achievement by obtaining a seventh successive victory in the grueling 2007 Dakar Rally after the final 16km special stage, near Dakar, in Senegal earlier this week.

Throughout 25 years of contsting in the world’s most vigorous and illustrious off-road rally, this 12th win is considered to be a record- breaker. For the third time in four years the French crew of Stéphane Peterhansel and Jean –Paul Cottret won the event in their Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution and defeated their team mates and defending champions Luc Alphand and Gilles Picard by a margin of just seven minutes 26 seconds, after 15 days of thumping competition across Portugal, Morocco, Mauritania, Mali and Senegal.

"I am very proud that we have managed to record the seventh win in seven years," said MMSP’s Managing and Sporting Director Dominique Serieys. "The new car won out of the box with a couple of minor problems with some external components and this bodes well for the ongoing development throughout 2007 and into 2008. I don’t think that this was a difficult Dakar. For sure, our strategy was different this time, but you can see from the number of finishers that it was maybe an easier race than previous years”.

Out of a capacity entry of 185 cars, 247 bikes and quads and 85 trucks, only 109 cars, 132 bikes and quads and 59 trucks reached the finish in Dakar after a shortened route of 7,915km, of which 4,309km were competitive.

"I am very happy for the entire team that we have achieved this victory," said Osamu Nakayama, General Manager, Mitsubishi Motors Corporation Okazaki R&D Motor Sports Team. "But it was very difficult this year. For the future we will look to improve our chances of retaining the Dakar title and begin to develop environmentally-friendly technologies through our Cross-Country motor sport program."

 Team Repsol Mitsubishi Ralliart will deliberate on further improving the Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution over the coming months and will embark upon a new FIA Cross-Country Rally World Cup program this season.