The Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart crew of Tommi Makinen and Risto Mannisenmaki retired from the 44th Tour de Corse early this morning when they went off the road in the first stage (SS13) of the final leg. Mitsubishi Motors drivers however reigned supreme in the Group N production car class, maintaining their unbeaten record in the category this season. Austria’s Manfred Stohl was a convincing victor in his Mitsubishi Carisma GT, beating his chief World Championship rival, Gustavo Trelles, who was driving a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution. Mitsubishi drivers claimed the first 13 places in Group N.

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

The 11th round of the FIA World Rally Championship was won by Gilles Panizzi after a furious inter-team battle. Both he and Francois Delecour were split by mere tenths of a second before the final stage but Panizzi, who has never won a World Championship event, took the prized trophy back in Ajaccio this afternoon. In the FIA World Rally Championship for Drivers, fifth position was enough for Marcus Gronholm to hold on to his lead, but Richard Burns moves back up into second position. Colin McRae and Carlos Sainz hold third and fourth respectively, but five points is all that separates the leading four crews. Tommi Makinen is fifth. In the Manufacturers’ Championship, Ford retains its lead but maximum points for Peugeot moves it up to second with Subaru and Mitsubishi third and fourth.

Eighty-seven competitors took the restart in Ajaccio this morning and, although conditions were overcast, there seemed little threat of rain during today’s closing stages. Having lost time yesterday, Makinen was intending to use today as a competitive test session for the forthcoming Rallye Sanremo, the final asphalt round of the series. However, the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution driver was forced into retirement just one and a half kilometres into the first stage.

Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart T. Makinen / R. Mannisenmaki

"I started to brake as we went into a tightening right corner, but too late, and the car went sideways and we slid off", he said. "Already it was a bit over for us and our target was to do some testing today. We thought we had a good chance here but we just couldn’t find the best performance. If you make a mistake in any event it can be a problem, but this rally - being based in the mountains - all the time if something happens it can be quite big. It’s the most difficult tarmac rally.

"Sanremo is a very good rally and we have to try and see what we can do. There is not such a big difference between here and Sanremo, although the Italian stages are a bit faster and this might be better for us. Hopefully we can do some confirmation testing before the rally to try some new tyres and compare some ideas", concluded Tommi.

Adding to his comments, Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart team manager Phil Short said: "It has been a disappointing rally for the team. In Corsica, as we have seen, if you go off the road it tends to be a big accident. Unfortunately we suffered with both cars. However the car has been competitive and we have learned a lot and made some good progress".

Mitsubishi Carisma GT Gr.N M. Stohl / P. Muller

Manfred Stohl celebrated his second Group N victory for Mitsubishi in Corsica and extended his Group N World Championship lead after a flawless drive in his Carisma GT, which ran perfectly from start to finish. He now has an eight-point advantage over Mitsubishi’s four-times World Champion, Gustavo Trelles.

"Today we have been driving carefully and trying not to take risks. This is a very tough rally and you have to be careful all the time. I am really happy to win here," Stohl commented.

Uruguay’s Gustavo Trelles made full use of his Lancer Evolution’s capabilities, fighting back strongly in the final leg to make sure of second, but had lost too much time in the early stages to offer a serious challenge to Stohl.

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