Kenjiro Shinozuka was the first Japanese driver to win the Paris-Dakar in 1997. He died Monday at the age of 75 from pancreatic cancer, reported Japanese media.
He was a 21-time Dakar stage winner and the first non-European to win event. He also distinguished himself on the Ivory Coast rally, with two victories in 1991 and 1992. He participated in the Dakar until 2007 despite a serious accident in 2003 which left him in a coma, still finishing on the podium twice.