Swedish Rally 2000
Wednesday 9 February
COMMUNIQUE 1

MITSUBISHI LOOKS GOOD FOR SWEDISH RALLY VICTORY

Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart driver Tommi Makinen has high hopes of a third consecutive victory on the second round of the 2000 FIA World Rally Championship, the Swedish Rally, in his Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution. But Makinen and Mitsubishi Carisma GT-driving team-mate Freddy Loix predict that the weather conditions could make it one of the most difficult Swedish Rallies in years.

The 2000 rally is a landmark in Swedish motorsport, as the country’s biggest sporting event celebrates its 50th anniversary. Some of the sport’s great names are on hand for the celebrations, but competitors are concerned that a lack of snow will place huge strain on the tyres, as stages covered in gravel rather than snow can badly damage studs.

Finns Tommi Makinen and Risto Mannisenmaki are perfectly at home in wintry conditions and brimming with confidence after their crushing Monte Carlo Rally victory in their Michelin-shod Lancer Evolution last month.

"It will be quite difficult, especially for the tyres, but the surface is quite hard now because it is freezing at night. The stages near Karlstad are more ice and gravel, but the stages close to Falun are in much better condition and there are some snowbanks. It’s not like our test in Lapland, but that was still useful to try the tyres. Everything seems to go like we planned", Makinen said.

Belgian team-mates Freddy Loix and Sven Smeets have far less experience of the rally and the conditions than Makinen, but Loix is in good spirits after recent tests in the Carisma GT.

"It’s a little bit easier than last year, that’s for sure. We will certainly be trying to score points of course, but for real speed I still need a bit more experience. The stages are very fast and tricky, a bit like the Rally Finland, so it helps if you know them. I just wish there were more snowbanks!", Loix commented.

As usual, Mitsubishi is strongly represented in the Group N production category. Lancer Evolutions and Carisma GTs are near-invincible in the showroom class and they are a popular choice in Sweden.

"I am looking forward to it after our Monte Carlo result, but beating the Scandinavian drivers here will be really difficult", said Austrian Manfred Stohl.

"The car is good and I think we can repeat last year’s victory, but you never know with so much opposition", Finland’s Jouko Puhakka said.

After a ceremonial start on Thursday evening, the first stages are on Friday 11 February. A compact loop north of Karlstad includes seven stages, totalling 140 kilometres.