Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart driver and four-times World Rally Champion Tommi Makinen leads the team assault in the 2000 Rally Argentina and is poised for attack in fifth position at the conclusion of the opening leg of competition. Team-mate Freddy Loix, competing for only the second time in South America, holds seventh after 117 of the 375 competitive kilometres. Mitsubishi Motors’ drivers have also performed superbly to hold the top three places in the Group N production car category. Uruguay’s Gustavo Trelles leads the way ahead of arch-rival and local star Gabriel Pozzo, both driving Mitsubishi Lancer Evolutions.

After last night’s high-speed spectacle at the rally sprint circuit, today’s action took the crews to the north of Cordoba, into the Punilla Valley and the vast open plains around the village of La Cumbre. Spectators flocked into the stages in their thousands, the mild temperatures encouraging the fanatical Argentineans who traditionally arrive on horseback and soak up the atmosphere around burning camp fires. Such was the support for the world’s most spectacular rally drivers, stage five was cancelled for safety reasons due to the sheer number of fans.

Mitsubishi Carisma GT Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart F. Loix / S. Smeets

Makinen, driving the Championship-winning Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, has maintained a comfortable pace over the rough and rocky stages, pushing hard where possible while preserving the car in what is considered to be one of the roughest gravel events of the season. The Finn, co-driven by Risto Mannisenmaki, leapt from his overnight tenth position to a fine fourth after just two of today’s stages, only slipping back to fifth when he lost sixth gear early in the afternoon.

"Today has been ok and we don’t really need anything more from the car tomorrow, we just need good clean driving and concentration, then hopefully we have no problems", said Tommi. "In stage six, where I lost sixth gear, I had just changed up for a flat left corner when the gear just suddenly went. It is difficult to say how much time we lost, but I think maybe we were lucky because, had the stage before not been cancelled, we may have had to drive two stages without sixth gear. I also made a small mistake on stage seven and went wide on a hairpin, had to reverse and lost maybe ten seconds. But, there is still two days to go and I hope to get some advantage running fifth car on the road tomorrow".

Team-mates Freddy Loix and Sven Smeets hold seventh position in their Carisma GT. Competing for only the second time in Rally Argentina, and in very different conditions to last year’s practice, the Belgian lost time early this morning when he was slowed by Francois Delecour’s Peugeot limping through the stage with hydraulic problems.

"It had been difficult in some stages today, especially with the dust this morning, and in one of them we didn’t do a very good time, which is not so bad, but I don’t understand why and that bothers me", commented Freddy. "I had a problem on the last stage when a spectator threw a rock at the car - there was a hell of a bang when it landed on the windscreen, which was not so nice. Our position on the road tomorrow should be good and we are looking to improve".

Adding to the drivers’ comments, team director Andrew Cowan said: "It’s been a good day, all very close, but it seems there has been an advantage to run further back on the road. That being the case, tomorrow’s starting order should help Tommi put in some good times".

Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution Gr.N G. Trelles / J. del Buono