Mourning in rallies: Kenjirō Shinozuka, winner of the 1997 Dakar, has died

The world of rallying is facing mourning today. Kenjirō Shinozuka died at the age of 75 due to complications related to pancreatic cancer that he had been fighting for some time.

Shinozuka has linked his career to Mitsubushi in an inextricable way since 1971, when he joined the Japanese company as an employee, and then moved on to the roles of salesman and mechanic in the rally sector.

The Japanese began competing in the Paris-Dakar in 1986, later becoming very popular at the wheel of the Mitsubishi Pajero which he drove for years. In 1987 he reached the podium in his second appearance at the rally raid, third.

The great result of his career was achieved 10 years later, in 1997, when at the wheel of a Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution and navigated by his trusted co-pilot Henri Magne he achieved the overall victory in the Car category beating his teammates Jean-Pierre Fontenay and Bruno Saby, second and third respectively.

Kenjirō Shinozuka also had the satisfaction of winning 2 rallies at WRC level. These were the two editions of the Ivory Coast Rally in 1991 and 1992 at the wheel of a Mitsubishi Galant VR-4 of the Mitsubishi Oil Ralliart team.

In addition to the two victories achieved in Ivory Coast, Shinozuka also achieved another podium in the WRC thanks to second place overall at the 1994 Safari Rally achieved in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo I of the Mitsubishi Ralliart team.

The Japanese driver raced until 2007, when he took part in his last Paris-Dakar. He was then inducted into the Japan Automotive Hall of Fame just 2 years ago, in 2022.

Dakar, through a short statement released this afternoon, wanted to remember Shinozuka: “The Dajar family is incredibly saddened by the passing of Kenjiro Shinozuka. At the wheel of a Mitsubishi Pajero, Kenjiro became the first Japanese to win the Paris-Dakar in 1997. He was a 21-time winner of a stage of the Dakar and the first non-European to win the event.”