The outcome of the 2001 FIA World Rally Championship hangs in the balance after the dramatic retirements of both Tommi Makinen and Colin McRae in the opening leg of the Rally of Great Britain. The sole remaining Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution WRC of Freddy Loix/Sven Smeets holds 10th position after 139 competitive kilometres of competition.

Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution WRC Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart T. Makinen / K. Lindstrom

Mitsubishi Motors drivers have however already established themselves at the top of the leaderboard in the Group N category. Peru’s Ramon Ferreyros leads the way in his Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, with Swede Kenneth Backlund close behind in a Mitsubishi Carisma GT.

After last night’s opening super special stage, the contenders headed for the forests this morning, the route taking them to the northwest of the capital city of Cardiff for seven stages. Cold but dry conditions greeted the crews, but the thousands of fans that trekked into the forests armed with body-warming drinks and food were treated to dramatic action as no fewer than six of the leading contenders retired within five stages.

Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart driver Tommi Makinen was the first on the sidelines, the Finn losing the front left wheel after breaking a bolt in the suspension. But, by stage three, arch rival Colin McRae had also joined him on the ever-growing list of retirees, the Scot crashing his Focus while leading the rally. With two of the four contenders out of the frame, and Carlos Sainz currently down in fifth position, all Richard Burns needs to do is steer his Subaru to fourth position or higher to claim the world title for the first time. But, while the pressure of a winner-takes-all fight is off, the Briton still has a significant task ahead and unless he can score three points, McRae will still snatch the title.

"It happened on a very fast left hand corner", said Tommi about his retirement. "There was a hole in the road and we hit it and broke a bolt in the suspension. The wheel then came loose and we didn’t have another bolt to make repairs. I’m feeling a bit numb at the moment, very disappointed, but sometimes that’s how it goes - you’re either lucky or not. We were pushing hard, there was everything to go for and it’s hard to accept that we’re not in the fight. I was really looking forward to ending the season on a high with Mitsubishi; we have achieved a lot together - a fifth world title with them would have been fantastic for everyone".

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

Team-mates Freddy Loix and Sven Smeets struggled with a lack of boost this morning coupled with poor handling later in the day. "We’ve been down on power and the engine’s not felt quite right - the torque doesn’t appear to be there at lower revs", said Freddy. "The rear of the car is also unstable and as the road camber changes it affects it even more". The Belgians then incurred penalties out of the service this afternoon when further investigation revealed the gearbox mounting and bell housing to be broken, and an unscheduled gearbox change was immediately put into effect.

"The transmission was much better in the last two stages, but as darkness fell and thick fog arrived, it’s difficult to say how much better the power was because we had to back off a bit. Hopefully we’ll be able to mount an attack tomorrow", added Freddy.

Group N contender Ramon Ferreyros has made quite a name for himself in Britain over the years, but the Peruvian was made to work hard for his lead in his Lancer Evolution and he admitted that it had not been easy.

"The problem is that all year I have been driving in Peru in a different car and it’s a little bit difficult to get used to the car and the pace. It’s one thing to drive in Peru and another thing to drive here," Ferreyros said.

Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution Gr.N R. Ferreyros / J. Marin