TAP Rallye de Portugal 2000
Friday 17 March
COMMUNIQUE 3

PORTUGAL CLAIMS TOMMI MAKINEN
BUT MITSUBISHI TAKES FIRM CONTROL IN GROUP N

Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart suffered a cruel blow to its 2000 FIA World Rally Championship aspirations today when the Finnish crew of Tommi Makinen and Risto Mannisenmaki were forced onto the sidelines with a broken steering bracket on their Lancer Evolution. Hopes now rest with team-mates Freddy Loix and Sven Smeets, however the Belgian pairing have lost time today with balance and differential problems and they currently hold 11th position.

Huge, wildly enthusiastic crowds followed the drivers’ every move as the route twisted its way through northern Portugal. Warm, sunny conditions no doubt increased the number of fans, but they didn’t make life any easier for the crews. Makinen was joined on the retirements list by Colin McRae, whose Ford broke its engine, Subaru driver Juha Kankkunen and the Hyundai of Alister McRae.

From his overnight 20th position, Makinen had powered his way through the leaderboard, despite suffering early this morning by running first on the road and sweeping the loose gravel clear for the following cars. He climbed as high as eighth position and within ten seconds of fourth overall before retiring in stage 9 with a broken steering component on the upright of the front right corner.

"For us there was not so much grip this morning because the stages had been re-graded since the practice, and also we chose too hard a compound tyre", commented Makinen. "After that things were much better, although the car has been too low at the front and digging into the soft sand. Then on stage nine, on a tight hairpin right two kilometres in, there was a very little tree stump that we didn’t mark on the notes and we damaged one of the steering components when we hit it. We did not have the part to change it and could not continue. We now have to concentrate on the next event and tarmac is a different element again, but there are still ten events to go and we will fight back".

Team-mates Freddy Loix and Sven Smeets have experienced a frustrating day and hold 11th position going into tomorrow’s leg. "It was very hard this morning and the balance of the car did not feel right", said Freddy. "We made some changes and it then felt good, but we have made a few spins because the diff is working only ninety percent of the time. It’s like having a handbrake on the front of the car".

Adding to his driver’s comments, Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart team director Andrew Cowan said: "It’s an unfortunate accident for Tommi when he was fighting back from the handicap of being first on the road. He had to take some small chances and unfortunately there was a tree stump hidden in the apex of a corner which caused his retirement. We’ve seen him come back in the past, and there is no reason why he can’t do that again".

Mitsubishi Lancer Evolutions and Carisma GTs are firmly in control of the Group N production class and hold the top seven places after the first leg of the Rally of Portugal, with Portuguese star and 1999 category winner Miguel Campos well in front.

In fact, Mitsubishis hold the top seven places in the Group N production class, upholding their consistent supremacy amid strong competition from rival manufacturers. Campos, whose is potentially the fourth different Mitsubishi driver to win a round of the Championship this year, was in the battle for Group N supremacy from the outset. Fighting for seconds with Austrian Manfred Stohl and Germany’s Uwe Nittel, he rocketed into the lead on the exceptionally rough stages in the middle of the leg and has built up a lead of one and a half minutes. Nittel lies second, despite nursing a badly swollen arm, while early leader Stohl recovered from a mechanical setback to claim third. Local man Pedro Leal is fourth in another Lancer Evolution, with rising Argentine star Claudio Menzi fifth. Four-times World Champion Gustavo Trelles holds sixth position after experiencing engine problems during the day.

"I knew it would be a tough fight with so many good drivers, but I am attacking as much as I can. I want to keep going the same speed tomorrow and I hope that will be enough", said Campos, whose battle for a top Championship position among the current five leading Mitsubishi drivers would be boosted considerably with victory in Portugal.

Leg 2 of the Rally of Portugal starts from Matosinhos at 06:00 hrs (GMT) and covers a total distance of 724.29 kilometres. Nine special stages, totaling 179.25 competitive kilometres, take the crews south to the classic stages around Arganil where spectators are again expected to pour into the stages in their thousands.

OVERALL CLASSIFICATION AFTER LEG 1