"We think the latest version of our car will suit the rally well and we’ve had a very, very good test in Finland, using a good variety of roads. The drivers were delighted. We’re well prepared, but I think this is going to be the climactic rally so far this year. There are so many drivers who can win and it is like a Grand Prix. It’s not rough and there are only going to be seconds in it. Tommi of course can win anywhere and he’s very confident at the moment. It’s a big chance for Toni and there’s a fair bit of pressure on him. It would be unfair to expect him to win, but with a good car, we’d like to think he can do well. We’ve taken the pressure off Freddy and he’ll have had a decent test, so he’ll get a fair shake of the stick. We’re looking forward to it", said Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart Team Manager George Donaldson.

Mitsubishi Motors drivers have won the Group N production class 23 times running and they are the clear favourites to do so again on the ninth round of the 2001 FIA World Rally Championship, the Rally Finland. The Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution and the Mitsubishi Carisma GT are the cars to have and no fewer than 54 of the 165 entries have picked one of the two in Group N form, making them by far the most popular choice.

Finns are inevitably the favourites and the man to beat is likely to be the talented Jouko Puhakka, who is driving a Carisma GT for Mitsubishi Ralliart Finland.

"Everyone expects Finns to do well on this rally and of course I am optimistic, but there is a lot of tough opposition and you cannot assume that you will win. It’s going to be an exciting rally", Puhakka predicted.

It will be a particularly searching test for World Championship leader Gabriel Pozzo in his Lancer Evolution. The Argentine star has limited experience of the terrain and will have a fight on his hands.

"I think this is in some ways the most difficult rally of the year. These are tricky roads and I think the most important thing is to gain experience", Pozzo commented.

Uruguay’s Gustavo Trelles is the most experienced and successful Group N contender of all, with four consecutive world titles in Lancer Evolutions to his credit and he is a previous category winner in Finland.

"We have to win if we are going to stand any chance of beating Pozzo in the championship this year, but with so many good drivers, maybe we need a bit of luck too", Trelles stated.

A brilliant entry also includes Finland’s Markko Ipatti, who is the reigning British Champion, Swede Kenneth Backlund and Italians Gianluigi Galli and Giovanni Manfrinato, all driving Carisma GTs, but with so many drivers in Mitsubishis, there is plenty of opportunity for one of them to spring a surprise.

In keeping with tradition, the 21-stage, 1,650-kilometre rally, which starts on August 24, is based in Jyvaskyla and divided into three legs, with 408 kilometres of stages. However, there are some notable changes this year, with some of the longest stages in the rally’s history. The first leg heads north and east of Jyvaskyla, with nine stages totalling 130 kilometres. The second is concentrated to the south-west, on the ultra-fast, wide roads around Jamsa and Orivesi. It has 181 kilometres of stages, including classics such as Ouninpohja and Juupajoki. The third and final leg, again to the south, comprises only three stages, but they total 96 kilometres and include a stage of no fewer than 40 kilometres. The outcome is likely to remain in the balance until the finish on August 26 is practically in sight.