AUSTRALIA SHAKEDOWN/MITSUBISHI MOTORS/2001 WRC

Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart drivers Tommi Makinen and Freddy Loix are keenly anticipating the 13th and penultimate round of the 2001 FIA World Rally Championship, the Rally Australia. Both World Championship leader Makinen and Belgian Loix are driving the latest Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution WRC and are encouraged by its testing potential in the run-up to its first appearance on a loose-surface rally.

Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution WRC
Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart
T. Makinen / T. Hantunen

Mitsubishi Motors have not been beaten in the Group N production car category since 1999, but its drivers know they face a real battle to maintain that astonishing record. Mitsubishi is confident nevertheless, as it can count on newly crowned Group N World Champion Gabriel Pozzo, as well as a host of other gifted drivers in Mitsubishi Lancer Evolutions and Mitsubishi Carisma GTs.

Australia is always one of the most popular World Championship rallies, thanks to its fine organisation and warm welcome from the people of Perth. This year, the pressure will be even higher than usual. Remarkably, six drivers are potential World Champions and Makinen knows that he has a fight on his hands. Final preparations in hot 30 degree cloudless sunshine at the shakedown test at Langford Park, 60 kilometres south of Perth, were more than usually important and, with road conditions very representative of what will be found in the forests, drivers took full advantage of the opportunity to finalise car settings. Koala bears added to the local atmosphere, and with the drivers posing with the small indigenous mammals, the hundreds of international film crews and photographers were treated to great national images.

This year’s rally will be run at a furious pace, for a new seeding system means that the fastest drivers choose starting positions, which results in no tactical advantage in slowing down to gain a better position on the unique gravel roads, characterised by their ball-bearing appearance.

"I must say the new car feels completely different, but it is also very good. It feels very positive and it turns into corners nicely, but it is also very stable when it is fast. I think we still have a very good chance in the World Championship", Makinen said.

Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution WRC
Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart
F. Loix / S. Smeets

Belgians Freddy Loix and Sven Smeets are also in good spirits after taking part in Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart’s five-day test in Australia and will play a key role in pressing home Mitsubishi’s World Championship challenge.

"For me, the car feels better than it has before and I think everyone is quite hopeful. It’s an important rally for the team and it will be interesting to see what happens. We will find out where we are on Friday!" Loix stated.

Group N contender Gabriel Pozzo has shown a real flair for learning new rallies and armed with last year’s experience, the promising Argentine driver is bound to be one of the favourites in his Lancer Evolution.

"This is a difficult rally, but I don’t have to worry about the World Championship any more and it will be nice to drive as fast as possible without having to worry about scoring points. It will be good", Pozzo said.

The man to beat could well be Australia’s Ed Ordynski, who has an unrivalled record of success on this event. He will also drive a Lancer Evolution.

"Obviously, I know the stages pretty well, but there are plenty of other drivers who know the rally these days too and I don’t think I have a real advantage. I think it will be a close finish", Ordynski said.

A superb entry includes a galaxy of Mitsubishi stars. Other potential front runners include rising Argentinean Marcos Ligato, driving a Lancer Evolution, as well as 2000 Group N World Champion Manfred Stohl, 1984 World Champion Stig Blomqvist and impressive Finn Juha Kangas, who will all handle Carisma GTs. Japan’s Fumio Nutahara will drive one of the latest Lancer Evolutions.

The rally begins with the renowned spectator super special stage at Langley Park on Thursday evening, but the bulk of the first leg, which is the longest of the rally, is on Friday, with 149 kilometres of stages in the forests east of Perth.