Japanese driver sets the pace in Dakar Rally prologue

JAPANESE driver Kenjiro Shinozuka, the 1997 auto champion, made a winning start in the 1.5km prologue of the 26th Dakar Rally which got underway despite heavy snow yesterday.

Shinozuka, who was forced to abandon last year’s race after an horrific crash, timed 1min 41.62sec to come in 0.53sec ahead of fellow Nissan driver Giniel De Villiers of South Africa with Italy’s Miki Biasion in a Mitsubishi third at 0.84.

Italy’s Matteo Graziani, riding for the all-powerful KTM team, was the surprise winner of the motorbike prologue in a time of 1min 23.90sec.