Group A Mitsubishi Colt Starion Turbo - Page 8 - 10-Tenths Motorsport Forum

Jesper OH · 26 Nov 2009, 16:57

I seem to remember "The Green Asian" as he was known (Japanese driver, but can't remember his name) brought Mitsubishi a rare WRC win at the Ivory Coast in around 1988 or 1989.

Jesper

BILTEL · 26 Nov 2009, 17:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by KA

Thanks- good to know it's still around.

Which was the sister car? I know Guy Colsoul used one in Belgium around the same time, but rally Starions aren't a great area of expertise for me....
http://www.rssp.eu/cgi-bin/dbedit/re...tarion%20Turbo

That's the one in Luton. It's in a bit of a state, but being rebuilt. The Pentti car is in lovely condition.

fangio · 27 Nov 2009, 20:23

Colin Blower ran the factory car in the UK in 1985/6, sponsored by BFGoodrich.
He also prepared the Dutch Mitsubishi Dealer Team car for me in 1986 in which I won the Dutch Touring Car Championship.
I remember doing a 500 km race at Brands with one of Colin's cars........

**chunterer** · 27 Nov 2009, 23:59

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jesper OH

I seem to remember "The Green Asian" as he was known (Japanese driver, but can't remember his name) brought Mitsubishi a rare WRC win at the Ivory Coast in around 1988 or 1989.

Jesper

Might have been something like Kenjii Shionozuka or a similar sounding name?

BILTEL · 28 Nov 2009, 00:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by fangio

Colin Blower ran the factory car in the UK in 1985/6, sponsored by BFGoodrich.
He also prepared the Dutch Mitsubishi Dealer Team car for me in 1986 in which I won the Dutch Touring Car Championship.
I remember doing a 500 km race at Brands with one of Colin's cars........

I got introduced to Colin Blower a few years ago, by a friend of mine, as Mr Starion. I was very embarrased, but he saw the funny side. Especially as our mutual friend was Barrie Williams.

I've got an old Ralliart video of the STP Group A car. I'll have a look and see what the names of the two Japanese drivers. Dave Brodie had a big hand in the Jap car back then. I see Dave Brodie quite regularly in passing, but have never got aound to having a conversation about Starions.

On a side note. A friend of mine has a Group B Lancer Turbo, Penttis 1000 lakes car. About 5 years ago I organised a photo shoot with that and the Pentti Starion for Retro Cars magazine. Both cars were on the cover, so if you fancy a read, EvilBay is waiting for you.

Jesper OH · 28 Nov 2009, 15:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by chunterer

Might have been something like Kenjii Shionozuka or a similar sounding name?

Kenjiro Shinozuka (spelling?) was his name, then! Think he was involved with the Ralliart rally raid programme during the 1990s.

Jesper

**chunterer** · 28 Nov 2009, 16:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jesper OH

Kenjiro Shinozuka (spelling?) was his name, then! Think he was involved with the Ralliart rally raid programme during the 1990s.

Jesper

Yes, that's the guy I was thinking of! I'm guessing he's the chap who you were thinking of in the rally Starion. I think he did one or two RAC's in the 80's and some other WRC events as well as the Asia-Pacific series, not too sure.

BILTEL · 29 Nov 2009, 14:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by BILTEL

I got introduced to Colin Blower a few years ago, by a friend of mine, as Mr Starion. I was very embarrased, but he saw the funny side. Especially as our mutual friend was Barrie Williams.

I've got an old Ralliart video of the STP Group A car. I'll have a look and see what the names of the two Japanese drivers. Dave Brodie had a big hand in the Jap car back then. I see Dave Brodie quite regularly in passing, but have never got aound to having a conversation about Starions.

On a side note. A friend of mine has a Group B Lancer Turbo, Penttis 1000 lakes car. About 5 years ago I organised a photo shoot with that and the Pentti Starion for Retro Cars magazine. Both cars were on the cover, so if you fancy a read, EvilBay is waiting for you.

Just had a quick look at the old Ralliart Jap touring car video. The two drivers were Takahashi Kunimitsu and Nakaya Akihiko.

**chunterer** · 29 Nov 2009, 19:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by BILTEL

Just had a quick look at the old Ralliart Jap touring car video. The two drivers were Takahashi Kunimitsu and Nakaya Akihiko.

Yes, both (you've got their christian and surnames the wrong way round

)were regular Starion pedallers at the time in Japan and also did the ocassional overseas events like Macau and in the case of Nakaya; Bathurst!

KA · 1 Dec 2009, 12:02

Starions on the hills as well- Ruedi Schmidlin, European Hillclimb Championship, St Ursanne, Switzerland, 1986:

http://www.euromontagna.com/photo.ph...1986-08-17-226

racer69 · 3 Dec 2009, 03:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by chunterer

Yes, both (you've got their christian and surnames the wrong way round

)were regular Starion pedallers at the time in Japan and also did the ocassional overseas events like Macau and in the case of Nakaya; Bathurst!

Here is Akihiko Nakaya in action at Bathurst in 1986, his first visit there.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfFzkzia2rU

**ghinzani** · 3 Dec 2009, 08:52

Quote:

Originally Posted by BILTEL

Just had a quick look at the old Ralliart Jap touring car video. The two drivers were Takahashi Kunimitsu and Nakaya Akihiko.

I remember a classic Autosport headline in Sporting Scene once when Akihiko had won a race - Nakayas Yard!

well it made me larf!

BILTEL · 23 Jan 2010, 07:58

I've got this on vhs!!

http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...18479122578773#

**chunterer** · 23 Jan 2010, 14:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by BILTEL

I've got this on vhs!!

http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...18479122578773#

Superb footage there. Is that 1987 and 1988?

KA · 24 Jan 2010, 08:14

Something interesting I tripped over in an old Autosport recently-

From the Oct 10th 1985 issue-

'Colt Starion trio for the Far East'

'Mitsubishi Motors of Japan have announced that they will be entering three Mitsubishi Colt Starion Turbos in rhe forthcoming Fuji and Macau Group A events in November.
Two of the three cars will be prepared by BBW Motorsport, entrants of Dave Brodie in the Trimoco series this year, and it is the Englishman who will lead the team in the Far East, partnered by experienced Japanese driver Kunimitsu Takahashi. Takahashi will get to know the car this weekend at Silverstone, where he will drive a second Starion alongside Brodie in the final round of the Trimoco series.
In the Far East, Brodie and Takahashi will be backed up by Australian Colt driver Kevin Bartlett and the 1984 Australian Group N champion Bradley Jones, while the crew for the third car has yet to be announced'

I knew Brodie had raced Starions at Fuji and Macau, but hadn't realised it had been with his regular BBW-prepared cars- I'd always assumed he'd simply driven for the local Mitsubishi factory team. Interesting that Mitsubishi in Japan should go to the effort of importing two cars from Europe for the Fuji and Macau races. When did Japan adopt Group A? (not until 1984/5 from memory?) Perhaps this was an opportunity to compare the European interpretation of a Group A Starion with the locally-developed cars, as BBW had been racing the car in Group A for a couple of years by then?

It also explains why Takahashi suddenly appeared in a second car for the last BTCC race- that one puzzled me a little, Brodie wasn't in contention for the championship, so it presumably wasn't an attempt to take points away from Rouse, and from the marketing angle, a second car at the European GP support at Brands the previous weekend would seem to have made more sense.

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