Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart has every chance of building on past successes on the eighth round of the 2000 FIA World Rally Championship, the Rally of New Zealand. With a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution for World Rally Champion Tommi Makinen and a Mitsubishi Carisma GT for Freddy Loix, the team will be amongst the favourites for the most southerly round of the series.

And it is popular with Group N competitors and not just because it is a true test of driving skill. The demanding North Island stages tend to favour Group N cars, for although they require good road holding and traction, they are not too rough and it will be no surprise if Group N drivers finish in the top 10 overall. Consequently, Mitsubishis are by far the most popular choice of car, as no fewer than 32 of the 72 entries are Lancer Evolutions or Carisma GTs.

Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart Driver - Tommi Makinen (Photo: '00 Rd.6 Rally Argentina)

The Rally of New Zealand opens the second half of the World Championship season and provides a distinct contrast to the previous round in Greece. Competitors find themselves in the middle of the southern hemisphere's winter and, far from coping with the heat and dust of a Mediterranean summer, they are likely to find that rain and mud present the challenge. Regardless of the weather, the stages could scarcely be more different. Although they are also on dirt roads, they are relatively smooth and often fast as well as slippery, winding through the lush farmland of North Island. As the rally is the only World Championship event regularly held in New Zealand, it always attracts great interest and healthy crowds, especially now the start is the heart of the country's biggest town, Auckland.

World Champions Tommi Makinen and Risto Mannisenmaki won the rally with ease 12 months ago and that result, after a number of disappointments on previous trips to New Zealand, has convinced Makinen that he has an excellent chance of scoring another victory in the Lancer Evolution.

"I feel confident about New Zealand. Last year I found very good settings for the suspension and I know very well what we have to do to make the car fast. Of course, you don't know what can happen with so much opposition, but the second half of the year is usually better for me", Makinen said.

Belgians Freddy Loix and Sven Smeets have far less experience of New Zealand than their team-mates, as the 1999 rally was their first attempt, but they are also confident following an extensive test in Finland, on roads not unlike New Zealand's.

"It is certainly one of the most difficult rallies in the world if you don't know the stages. It was a little bit difficult for us last year, but we know what to expect now and I hope we can fight with the others this time", Loix stated

Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart Driver - Freddy Loix (Photo: '00 Rd.6 Rally Argentina)

"The event seems to be going for longer stages, which is certainly going to create a challenge. The New Zealand stages are very popular with the drivers - they feel they can test their skills to the very limits, but the roads are often heavily cambered, which can make them tricky and at this time of year, the weather means that they can be very slippery and you can easily find a slippery patch in the wrong place. The speeds are quite high, so if you do come unstuck, it tends to be a major problem. You also need a good suspension set-up to get the most out of the car on the cambered surface. The other critical factor is cutting tyre treads, again because of the weather. The information you get from the gravel note crews is vital. The first and the second legs are both potentially difficult and if it's muddy and slippery in one of those, that will probably be the hardest. Historically, our car goes well in New Zealand and we would expect Tommi to do well. I'm sure Freddy will do better than last year, when it came as a bit of a shock to him. There are similarities between New Zealand and Finland and after our recent Finnish test, he was more optimistic", commented Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart team manager Phil Short.

Austrian Manfred Stohl has led the Group N World Championship all season in his Carisma GT, but he is eager to score another good result after a number of disappointments on recent rallies.

"The last few rallies have been not so good for me, but New Zealand is always a nice rally to drive and I hope we can really push and increase our lead in the World Championship. We need more points", Stohl commented.

Four-times World Group N Champion Gustavo Trelles has a real fight on his hands if he is to retain his crown this year, but the Uruguayan Lancer Evolution driver has beaten Stohl on their last three rallies and after cutting the gap to three points, he faces the second half of the year with confidence.

"New Zealand is a good rally and I know the stages very well. I hope we have some advantage, but there is so much opposition here that you never know what result you can get", Trelles stated.

A significant proportion of the probable front runners are South American, with Argentinians Gabriel Pozzo and Claudio Menzi making their first visit to New Zealand, while Uruguayan Gabriel Mendez will also drive a Lancer Evolution. Both the Argentinians are already proven winners in their first international season and Pozzo holds third in the World Championship.

"This rally is completely new to me, but I hear the stages are nice and I think we have shown we can be quick on new rallies. It will be an adventure", said Acropolis winner Pozzo.

New Zealanders Ross Meekings, Chris West and Reece Jones could well challenge for victory in their Lancer Evolutions, while a truly international entry also includes Japanese Fumio Nutahara.

The 1618-kilometre rally begins on July 13, but the action starts in earnest on July 14 with a loop south of Auckland over eight classic stages near the west coast, totalling 117 kilometres, including the second-longest of the rally. The second leg takes crews north for nine gruelling stages covering 176 kilometres and could well prove decisive, as there will be a 59-kilometre stage that is the longest planned for this year's World Championship. With 79 stage kilometres, the last leg south of Auckland will be a good deal shorter, but a real challenge nonetheless.