Mud, rain and cold conditions are not normally what anyone hopes for, but it could not have been a more welcome sight for Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart as it made its final preparations for the Rally of Great Britain (23-26 November), the concluding round of the 2000 FIA World Rally Championship.

"The weather was good for what we were doing, real British weather, just like we wanted", commented Olivier Maroselli, the engineer responsible for the team’s three day test in Wales (5-7 October) with Lasse Lampi.

Lampi completed more than 470 kilometres in the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution/Carisma GT, primarily testing new rear suspension geometry and two new compounds of Michelin tyre.

"The suspension has been adapted for wet and slippery conditions. After we adjusted the rear suspension, roll bar rate and various other components to match up to the new geometry, there was a noticeable improvement to the car", added Olivier. "We also have a new front suspension set up which gives us much more front end grip and better car balance.

"The conditions were also ideal to test two new Michelin compounds specifically for the Rally of Great Britain. Both were a good improvement in muddy, cold conditions, but obviously this will be confirmed in our confirmation test just before the event".

The Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart engineering department, under the direction of chief engineer Bernard Lindauer, has recently expanded. Phil Roach, formerly with the test team, has been promoted and Spaniard Roger Estrada also joins the team at the Rugby headquarters of Mitsubishi Ralliart Europe.

Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart’s next event takes it to the Italian Riviera resort of Sanremo for the last asphalt rally of the season, Rallye Sanremo (20-22 October). For the first time in 20 years of World Championship rallying, stages will be used in both directions and this year’s route is by far the most compact ever with all the action concentrated in the Liguria mountains.