Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution still treats Dakar as home after 25 years

Dakar Classic brings back an icon to the desert

The series may have moved on from the African to the Saudi Arabian desert, but the Dakar rally remains home for the Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution.

For this year’s Dakar Classic – a regularity race for rally raid vehicles made in 2005 or older, the Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution was a common sight having a blast in the dunes. Among those were the ex-works Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution previously driven by Dakar’s first female winner Jutta Kleinschmidt.

This time, the Pajero Evolution that took part in the 1999 Granada-Dakar rally was entered by Peter Brabeck-Lethmathe – an 80-year old former CEO of Nestle and Chairman of Formula One.

While the Dakar Classic takes a shorter route than the main event itself, crews will still have to go from the start in Bisha to the finish in Shubaytah. This covers a 7,246 km distance with 4,033 km of those being timed stages.

This year’s Dakar rally will conclude at the finish in Shubaytah on January 17.