Kenjirō Shinozuka

Kenjirō Shinozuka

Nation:	Japan
World Rally Championship (WRC)
First rally:	Safari rally 1976
Last rally:	Rally Australia 1997
Co-driver:	Manfred Dieter Gocentas
Team:	Mitsubishi - Ralliart
Vehicle:	Mitsubishi Lancer Evo III
Rallies Victories Podiums WP 8th 2 3 1
Points:	65

Kenjirō Shinozuka ( Japanese 篠 塚 建 次郎 , Shinozuka Kenjirō ; born November 20, 1948 in Ōta, Tokyo ) is a Japanese rally driver .

He made his debut in rallying in 1967. In 1976 he took part in a round of the World Rally Championship for the first time at the rally safari in Kenya . In 1988 he won the Asia-Pacific Championship in the Mitsubishi Galant VR-4 . In 1991 and 1992 he won the Ivory Coast Rally , making him the first Japanese to win a run in the World Rally Championship.

Shinozuka also achieved this at the Dakar Rally , which he won in a Mitsubishi Pajero in 1997 after finishing third in 1987, 1993 and 1995. The following year he finished second behind his team-mate Jean-Pierre Fontenay . Last year at Mitsubishi, in 2002, he finished the rally with third place on the podium.

Shinozuka joined Nissan in 2003 . However, he was very unlucky there and was never able to reach the finish of the Dakar Rally in the first four years. In 2003 he had a serious accident: after hitting a small sand hill, he rolled over several times. He sustained several injuries and was briefly in a coma. His co-driver Thierry Delli-Zotti broke both legs. Shinozuka had an accident the next year as well and was unable to finish the rally. In the following two years an engine fire and electronic problems prevented him from reaching the finish line. After the 2006 Dakar Rally, Shinozuka wanted to resign. Nevertheless, he was again at the start of the 2007 Dakar Rally in a Nissan and finished 59th.

Web links

• Official Homepage (Japanese)