The Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart crew of Tommi Makinen and Risto Mannisenmaki have made a fine start to the Rally of Great Britain, the final and deciding round of the FIA World Rally Championship. The Finns hold fourth position overnight in their Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution after one day and 130 kilometres of competition. Mitsubishi Motors driver Manfred Stohl currently holds the upper hand in the Group N production car category, the Austrian leading arch rival Gustavo Trelles by nearly a minute and a half.

One hundred and forty nine crews left the capital city of Cardiff in darkness early this morning, seven special stages in the notoriously unpredictable and treacherous south and mid-Wales forests lying in wait. Damp, but mild five degree temperatures did little to discourage the enthusiasm of the thousands of fans who poured into the forests to witness the world’s finest drivers balance their high tech rally cars on the edge of adhesion over slippery, wet and muddy forestry roads.

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

From their overnight 23rd position, after the short city-based super special last night, Tommi Makinen and Risto Mannisenmaki powered their way into sixth position after one single stage, such is their confidence in the Lancer Evolution. The Finns were within a handful of seconds of the lead until stage 4, when they lost nearly 20 seconds sliding wide and overshooting a junction, but maintained a competitive pace to climb back up the order to third. Despite slipping behind SEAT’s Didier Auriol when they damaged the steering after hitting a rock in stage 6, the Finns climbed back into third only to be overhauled by a charging Carlos Sainz as darkness fell in the final stage.

"The stages are very slippery and muddy, there has not been so much grip at all", stated Makinen. "I am a little bit disappointed with the last couple of stages because I couldn’t really find the best feeling as it was a lot muddier than the stages before. We should maybe have gone for the narrower Michelin tyre, I think. We have to try again tomorrow, keep attacking and hope it goes in our favour".

This treacherously muddy and wet winter rally has already taken its toll on a number of the leading crews, including Makinen’s team-mate Freddy Loix, who retired in the first stage of the day. "We were on the wrong line going into a fast right-hand corner and then cut the next one too closely", said a disappointed Freddy. "The car flipped and rolled over twice, stopping just before entering the trees".

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