Kenjiro Shinozuka, the first Japanese driver to win the Paris-Dakar in 1997, died Monday at the age of 75 from pancreatic cancer, reported Japanese media including the
Jiji Press agency.
Shinozuka participated in its first Paris-Dakar in 1986 (year of the tragic death of its founder Thierry Sabine), when the Mitsubishi firm launched into the famous rally-raid.
He finished third the following year and second in 88, in full domination of the Peugeot 205s. His coronation finally came nine years later, in 97, with his French co-driver Henri Magne, at the wheel of a Pajero 4x4.
Originally from Tokyo, Kenjiro Shinozuka began his career with the Japanese firm as a mechanic.
At the same time, he began a career as a driver in the Japanese rally championship.
A lover of Africa, the Japanese participated in the Dakar until 2007 despite a serious accident in 2003 which left him in a coma, still finishing on the podium twice (1998 and 2002).
He also distinguished himself on the Ivory Coast rally, with two victories in 1991 and 1992. After 2008, he participated in solar car races at Tokai University in Tokyo.