In order to gather further experience the team participated in the FIA Cross-Country Rally World Cup series with the 1998 model, which took an overwhelming victory that year in the Dakar. The main improvement was that the tire pressure could be adjusted from inside the vehicle while it was running, which enabled maintaining an optimum air pressure in changing track surface conditions - such as sand and rocks. A front differential lock mechanism was adopted to allow the vehicle to get over the sand dunes, potentially increasing its survivability in the tough desert conditions.

MITSUBISHI MOTORS put together a team made up of Shinozuka, Fontenay and a female driver, Jutta Kleinschmidt with three T2 specification PAJERO/MONTERO EVOLUTIONs, while Prieto entered the event in the 1997 model T3 specification PAJERO/MONTERO. Shinozuka and Fontenay’s PAJERO/MONTEROS were equipped with a device for adjusting tire pressure. The tire size was also increased and they were fitted to specially made wheels.

Masuoka also participated in a T3 CHALLENGER equipped with a 6G74 type MIVEC gasoline engine. Prieto and Masuoka participated in T3 vehicles within a distributor’s team, not the MITSUBISHI MOTORS works team.

The 1999 competition started again in Granada, Spain, crossed over to Rabat, Morocco in North Africa then heading to the south, to Mauritania and Mali, before taking a rest day in Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso. After that it returned to Mali and toward the northwest of Mauritania, then southward from the country's capital, Nouakchott, to Senegal, finally finishing at Lac Rose near Dakar. The total distance was 9,270 km, and the competitive stages (SS) totaled 5,597 km.
When the rally started, the MITSUBISHI drivers promptly took the lead with Prieto, Fontenay and Kleinschmidt posting fastest SS times, switching positions over the days. However, in the special stage in Tidjikja, Mauritania, Kleinschmidt was delayed after getting stuck in a sand dune and sustaining three punctures. José-María Servià of Spain took over the lead in his Schlesser Buggy. Fontenay was delayed due to a cooling water leak and damage to the windscreen. Things did not go to plan for teammate Shinozuka who also suffered a series of unfortunate problems, including running out of gasoline. Masuoka was also delayed by clutch problems. Servià’s progression was halted when he in turn got stuck, surrendering the lead to teammate Schlesser. Thus, MITSUBISHI MOTORS completed the first half of the race with Prieto in second and Kleinschmidt in third. In the second half, Shinozuka, Fontenay and Kleinschmidt again set fastest times. However, the gap between them and Schlesser did not narrow with 33 minutes 38 seconds separating second-placed Prieto, who also got stuck, from the leader. Prieto was followed by Kleinschmidt in third, Shinozuka in fourth and Masuoka in sixth. In support of his teammates, Fontenay reached the finish in ninth place. Although the MITSUBISHI MOTORS team failed to achieve its third consecutive win, it set the fastest time in 11 of the 16 stages, highlighting the reliability and drivability of the PAJERO/MONTEROs. Furthermore, Alphand took his PAJERO/MONTERO EVOLUTION to victory in the modified production car class. Klever Kolberg of Brazil secured a 1-2 class finish for the PAJERO/MONTEROs.