Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart drivers Tommi Makinen and Freddy Loix arrived in South America earlier this week for the sixth round of the 2000 FIA World Rally Championship, Rally Argentina (11-14 May). In a country famed for its dance, Four-Time World Rally Champion Tommi Makinen mixed business with pleasure on arrival. Attending a press conference in Buenos Aires with the national media before taking to the floor to try out his dancing skills to the nation’s most authentic and celebrated form of popular music, the tango.

Tommi Makinen tried out his skills to the tango

After hanging up his dance shoes, the Finn and his Belgian team-mate flew to Cordoba City, 600km northwest of Buenos Aires and the rally base of Villa Carlos Paz to undertake their final preparations with the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution/Carisma GT prior to the reconnaissance. Argentina is one of the more unique rallies. It is probably the third roughest event of the year and conditions can change dramatically from the start of a stage to the finish and this, combined with altitudes of up to 2,000 metres, conspire to make it one of the most technically challenging.

Both reigning World Rally Champion Tommi Makinen and Freddy Loix completed a full day of testing, each running 120 kilometres in the test car, in addition to shaking down their respective rally cars. The conditions they experienced however could not have been more diverse; Tommi driving in wet slippery conditions in the midst of more than 40 hours or rain, with Freddy testing on dry stages and in sunny but cool 10-12 degree temperatures.

In recent weeks Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart has been working hard to reduce the weight of the Lancer Evolution/Carisma GT and, in doing so, has successfully achieved a saving of nearly five percent. New engine maps, from Mitsubishi in Japan, that alter the fueling of the car, were tested over the last two days to great effect, ensuring optimum engine performance in these high altitudes. Predictability of the chassis is another vital element in Argentina, such is the changing nature of the surface, and both drivers have been fine tuning the differentials and suspension to give a consistent, balanced performance.

Makinen, Loix and their co-drivers attended a press conference in Buenos Aires