Mitsubishi pleased with performance at Baja Portugal with Outlander PHEV
The second and final leg of the Baja Portalegre 500 cross-country rally was held on October 24 and ran over a total route of 501.96km. Mitsubishi Motors’ Outlander PHEV, driven by Japan’s Hiroshi Masuoka, finished the event in 47th position overall in a total time of 11 hours 45 minutes and 47 seconds.
The third stage of 144.13km had started a short distance north of the village of Ponte de Sor, west of Portalegre, and wound its way through rural countryside to the northeast before heading south towards Chana-Est and rejoining a route that was used on Friday afternoon that finished south of Portalegre. Conditions deteriorated after light rain and the stage surface was damp and, by the time the Outlander PHEV entered the stage, the track conditions were very difficult, with deep ruts in the road. The car was running well on a competitive pace until a fuse issue occurred 58km from the start and the decision was taken to stop and return to the service park with the support of a quick assistance vehicle.
The car was repaired swiftly at the service park and a special stage of 200.95km was on the agenda for the afternoon. This longest stage of the event began near the village of Crato and wound its way north towards Vila Flor, before turning in a westerly direction through remote countryside to the town of Gavião and on to a finish at Ponte de Sor. Masuoka carded a time of three hours 29 minutes and 37 seconds in the rain and finished the special second of the 20 finishers in the National Rally category and 22nd overall. It was another perfect opportunity for Mitsubishi to demonstrate the superior all-terrain
