"It will be difficult. You never know what the weather can do, but I think it will be slippery and for sure there is a lot of pressure on everyone. It is an important rally for Mitsubishi and we will just do the best we can", Loix stated.

Mitsubishi Motors drivers are aiming to extend their phenomenal unbeaten record in the Group N production car category to two full seasons on the 14th and last round of the 2001 FIA World Rally Championship, the Rally of Great Britain. Mitsubishi Lancer Evolutions and Mitsubishi Carisma GTs dominate the Group N entry, with British and Scandinavian drivers very much to the fore.

Barely two weeks after facing heat and dust in Australia, the World Championship contenders return to Europe to a rally renowned for its bad weather. The rain, mud, fog, ice and even snow never put off the huge crowds that flock to this epic battle between man, machine and the elements, and the weather have been very much part of the event’s challenge since it was known as the RAC Rally. Notoriously unpredictable, the drama in the Welsh forests is likely to continue right to the finish.

One of the favourites should be top Group N seed Kenneth Backlund in his Mitsubishi Carisma GT. A regular winner in his homeland, the Swede has vast experience and he was second in Group N in Britain last year.

"This is always a difficult rally, because you never know what to expect in the forests. The opposition is tough, but I think we have quite a good chance", Backlund commented.

One of his main challengers should be fellow Swede Stig Blomqvist, a double winner of the rally in his heyday, who will also be driving a Carisma GT.

"I have been driving in Britain for more than 25 years now, so I know what the forests are like. It would be nice to end the year with a good result", Blomqvist said.

Peruvian Ramon Ferreyros also has plenty of experience in Britain and he is certainly a potential victor in his Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution.

"I like driving in the forests very much. It’s a real challenge, because the grip changes all the time and you need to have some luck as well, but I am looking forward to it", Ferryros said.

The British contingent will also take some beating. Carisma GT drivers include rising stars Mike Brown, Nik Elsmore and Neil Buckley, as well as veterans with a lengthy record of success such as Gavin Cox and Jeremy Easson. New Zealander Reece Jones could also be a contender in his Lancer Evolution. All told, no fewer than 31 crews have picked Group N Lancer Evolutions and Carisma GTs, confirming once again that Mitsubishis are easily the most popular choice with privateeers. It is an eloquent tribute to Mitsubishi engineering.

Based in Cardiff, the capital of Wales, the rally takes place from November 22-25 and covers 1,570 kilometres, with 17 stages covering 385 kilometres. The rally begins with a spectator stage in Cardiff on November 22, but it will be won and lost on a compact route in the forests of south and west Wales, run in a series of loops based on Swansea, although it returns to Cardiff each night. The first leg is marginally the longest, with nine stages totalling 139 kilometres. The second leg includes the longest, 46-kilometre stage of the rally, with a total of 133 competitive kilometres. The last leg is the shortest and concentrated nearer Swansea, but it will be a tough test even so, with just four stages, totalling 108 kilometres, concluding with one of the longest of the rally.