Hiroshi Masuoka (増岡 浩, Masuoka Hiroshi, born 13 March 1960) is a Japanese rally driver.
Career
editMasuoka's most notable achievement was his back-to-back successes in the Dakar Rally in 2002 and 2003, only the fourth driver in the event's history to win in consecutive years.[1] He was also victorious in the 2003 Baja Italy and the 2004 UAE Desert Challenge.[2]
Throughout his career he has been employed as a works driver by Mitsubishi, typically driving a Pajero. The 2009 Dakar Rally was his 21st and final participation in the rally, after which he retired along with Mitsubishi's withdrawal from the event. During his Dakar career, he won 25 stages, putting him fifth in the all-time list for the car category. He is now Senior Expert of Mitsubishi's Public Relations Department.[3]
Personal life
editMasuoka currently resides in Iruma, Saitama Prefecture, with his wife Chiaki and son Shoichiro.[2]
Dakar Rally results
edit| Year | Class | Vehicle | Result | Stages | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Car |  Mitsubishi
|
29th | 2 | |
| 1988 | DNF | 0 | |||
| 1989 | Did not enter | ||||
| 1990 | Car | Mitsubishi
|
10th | 0 | |
| 1991 | 95th | 0 | |||
| 1992 | 20th | 0 | |||
| 1993 | DNF | 0 | |||
| 1994 | 4th | 0 | |||
| 1995 | 10th | 0 | |||
| 1996 | 6th | 1 | |||
| 1997 | 4th | 1 | |||
| 1998 | 4th | 2 | |||
| 1999 | 6th | 0 | |||
| 2000 | 6th | 1 | |||
| 2001 | 2nd | 5 | |||
| 2002 | 1st | 5 | |||
| 2003 | 1st | 4 | |||
| 2004 | 2nd | 4 | |||
| 2005 | DNF | 0 | |||
| 2006 | DNF | 0 | |||
| 2007 | 5th | 0 | |||
| 2008 | Event cancelled – replaced by the 2008 Central Europe Rally | ||||
| 2009 | Car | Mitsubishi
|
DNF | 0 | |
References
edit- ^ "Mitsubishi Motors Takes Third Straight Dakar Rally Title" Archived 2008-07-03 at the Wayback Machine, Mitsubishi Motors press release, January 20, 2003
- ^ a b Official page Archived 2007-09-28 at the Wayback Machine, Pajero-dakar.com
- ^ "Triumph on Pikes Peak", dSpace Magazin, January, 2015, p.50
External links
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