4 replies to this topic

[William Hunt]

He was on of the greatest ever rally drivers from Japan, twice a World Rally Championship winner for Mitshubishi and also scoring 7 Dakar podiums including a victory in 1997.

 

Kenjiro sadly passed away in Suwa (Nagano, Japan) today after a battle with cancer. He was 75 years of age.

 

Despite finishing his carreer with Nissan, he will always be associated to Mitshubishi for whom he got so much success.

Rest in peace Kenjiro.

[steferrari]

RIP.

[Dolph]

RIP

[William Hunt]

Just saw on the Nostalghia forum that today, on the same day as we Lost Shinozuka, one of the most famous Portugese rally drivers also passed away. He always did the Portugese national rally championship but also used to participate in the Rally of Portugal on the WRC calendar every year and frequently managed top 10 results in that rally. Joaquim Santos.

 

Santos was 4 times national rally champion in Portugal.

Sadly most people will remember his name as the driver who was involved in the accident in the 1986 WRC event in Portugal that killed spectators. Back then the spectators in many Group B rally's were often trying to touch the cars or do crazy stuff on the road, that accident caused a driver strike, with Ballestre travelling to Portugal they had to continue, in his authoritarian style, only to cancel the Group B (and future Group S) two months later after the Toivonen accident in Corsica. Santos was driving a Group B Ford RS200 in that rally. Some were blaming that he wasn't a full blown experienced factory driver in a very strong car but in reality the spectators were causing the danger. Santos was also very experienced by then.

 

 

Joaquim Santos WRC top 10's in the Rallye de Portugal:

 

1979:   8th in a Opel Kadet GT/E                 (winner: Hannu Mikkola, Ford Escort 1800)

1983:   9th in a Ford Escort 1800                (winner: Hannu Mikkola, Audi Quattro A1)

1987:   9th in a Ford Sierra RS Cosworth    (winner: Markku Alén, Lancia Delta HF 4WD)

1990:   9th in a Ford Sierra RS Cosworth)   (winner: Mikia Biasion,  Lancia Delta Integrale 16V)

1992:   8th in a Toyota Celica GT-4             (winner: Juha Kankkunen, Lancia Delta Integrale)

 

https://www.ewrc-res...joaquim-santos/

 

 

Kenjiro Shinozuka WRC top 10 overall results:

 

1976  Safari                 6th in a Mitsubishi Lancer             (winner:  Andrew Cowan, Mitsubishi Lancer)

1977  Safari                10th in a Mitsubishi Colt                 (winner:  Björn Waldegaard, Ford Escort RS 1800)

1977  Québec               6th in a Mitsubishi Colt                 (winner: Timo Salonen, Fiat 131 Abarth)

1981  Portugal             10th in a Ford Escort RS1800         (winner: Markku Alén,  Fiat 131 Abarth)

1989  Acropolis             7th in a Mitsubishi Galant VR-4    (winner: Miki Biasion, Lancia Delta Integrale)

1989  New Zealand       6th in a Mitsubishi Galant VR-4    (winner: Ingvar Carlsson, Mazda 323 4WD)

1989  Australia              7th in a Mitsubishi Galant VR-4    (winner: Juha Kankkunen, Toyota Celica GT-4)

1990  Safari                  5th in a Mitsubishi Galant VR-4     (winner: Björn Waldegaard, Toyota Celica GT-4)

1991  Safari                  8th in a Mitsubishi Galant VR-4     (winner: Juha Kankkunen, Lancia Delta Integrale 16V)

1991  Côte d'Ivoir         1st in a Mitsubishi Galant VR-4

1992  Safari                10th in a Mitsubishi Galant VR-4     (winner: Carlos Sainz, Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD)

1992  Côte d'Ivoir         1st  in a Mitsubishi Galant VR-4

1994  Safari                 2nd in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 1    (winner: Ian Duncan,  Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD)

1995  Safari                 2nd in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 3    (winner:  Yoshio Fujimoto, Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD)

1996  Safari                 6th  in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 3    (winner:  Tommi Mäkinen,  Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 3)

 

He was FIA Asia-Pacific Rally Champion in 1988

From 1963 (!) until 2002 he was a Mitsubishi factory driver (source wikipedia), after 2002 he still competed in Rally Raid with the focus on the Dakar rally until 2007 for Nissan but he never enjoyed the succes he had at Mitsubishi at Nissan.
 

On top of that he participated in every edtion from the Dakar rally from 1986 until 2007, scoring his first podium in 1987, scoring an overall win in 1997 and the runner up position in 1988 and 1998. On 4 occasions he was 3rd.

 

The last rally he ever competed in was a local New Zealand championship event in a Honda Civic in 2017.

 

 

Kenjiro Shinozuka is a legendary name in the history of Japanese autosport having won 2 WRC events and the prestigious Dakar.

https://www.ewrc-res...jiro-shinozuka/

 

https://en.wikipedia...njiro_Shinozuka

 

https://www.autospor...ed-75/10588646/

 

And here an obituary written for Keniro Shinozuka, on the fantastic Rally website Dirtfish:

https://dirtfish.com...i-rally-legend/

Edited by William Hunt, 19 March 2024 - 00:13.

[messy]

I can't believe he was 75. I remember him for his mid 90s Safari exploits at Mitsubishi, he was viewed (rightly) as something of a legend by those days for his wins and then obviously conquering the Dakar too....it's within my memory so it's so strange to think that he was 75 years old. Time flies. RIP.