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The Shamrock Rally 2003, a cross-country rally staged in the west Sahara region of North Africa, was held from October 1 through 9 centered on the south Atlantic coastal town of Raiyu. Jun Mitsuhashi and Philippe Rey, competing in a Nissan Pathfinder (known as a Terrano in Japan/T2 spec), finished third overall and second in the T2 class.
Based in Raiyu, this rally consisted of six stages run over six days. Each stage was 100 to 200 kilometers long, and the course was covered twice. The road surfaces were highly varied and quite difficult, ranging from the hard gravel mixed with rocks that is unique to Morocco and the West Sahara, to sand dunes. The total distance was around 1,500 kilometers. For Mitsuhashi, who has changed over from motorcycle offroad riding and is racing as part of Nissan's rookie training program for young Japanese competitors, this was his second competition following his debut in the Pharoah's Rally where he was placed ninth overall. |
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 The Shamrock Rally attracted 110 motorcycles and 40 four-wheel vehicles. The Mitsuhashi team got away to a smooth start, coming fifth overall in the prolog, which was held on the 2nd. In the early part of the race, they maintained third place while driver and navigator learned to work together. In the sand dunes on the second day, where many vehicles became stuck, Mitsuhashi came through without trouble, demonstrating the progress he had made. Later on, he ran into a suspension problem but recovered without loss, reaching the goal on the 8th in the overall position of third and in second place in the T2 class — a commendable performance.
Jun Mitsuhashi: Although this was a short competition, he put up a very good fight, approaching it like a real rally and planning strategy each day. As a result, he learned a lot. With two events under his belt, his future as a rally driver seems to be slowly emerging. This was a pleasing rally: in addition to control over his machine, in the second half of the event the teamwork with his navigator improved. |
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