PORTUGAL SHAKEDOWN/MITSUBISHI MOTORS/2001 WRC

Mitsubishi Motors drivers Tommi Makinen, driving a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, and Freddy Loix, at the wheel of a Mitsubishi Carisma GT, are among the favourites for what could be the toughest Rally of Portugal in years. Bad weather has made the roads even more testing than usual and threatens to make the third round of the 2001 FIA World Rally Championship a battle for survival.

Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution
Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart
T. Makinen / R. Mannisenmaki

Mitsubishi drivers are also bidding for yet more success in the Group N production car category. Amazingly, Lancer Evolutions and Carisma GTs have won Group N on 16 rallies in succession and there is every chance of another victory this weekend.

Portugal is always keenly awaited as the first loose-surface rally of the year, which makes it an invaluable guide to the season ahead. But while competitors often look forward to warm, spring-like conditions - a welcome contrast to the snow and cold of the Monte Carlo and Swedish Rallies - months of rain have turned the twisting roads that wind through the hills and woods in the northern half of the country into a gruelling mixture of mud and loose rocks. The forecast for the rally is for slightly better weather, but, even so, the stages are likely to be in a poor state. No amount of rain will deter the spectators however. Hundreds of thousands of them throng every vantage point they can reach and the local fans are joined by numerous Spaniards. Whatever their nationality, their enthusiasm knows no bounds.

Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution
Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart
T. Makinen / R. Mannisenmaki

Monte Carlo winners Tommi Makinen and Risto Mannisenmaki acknowledge that the rally will be a real challenge in such severe conditions, but the Finnish duo are eager to get to grips with the latest, improved version of the Lancer Evolution, which has modified rear suspension amongst other improvements.

"It is very bad - very, very difficult", said Tommi. "It is slippery everywhere, but it is hard to see the really bad places and there is just no grip at all on some corners. There is mud and ruts everywhere. Still, the new suspension will make a big difference to the car. It is the biggest improvement we have made in a long time".

Belgian team-mates Freddy Loix and Sven Smeets have a fine record in Portugal and were just as impressed with the Carisma GT when they tested for the rally a month ago.

Mitsubishi Carisma GT
Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart
F. Loix / S. Smeets

"There are some very bad, slippery stages. I’ve never seen it like that here. I think it’ll be a bit like a Rally GB. The car’s definitely easier to drive, but I need to drive a few kilometres to adapt to gravel again. It will be a difficult rally but I’m looking forward to it", Loix declared.

In Group N, reigning World Champion Manfred Stohl could easily be the pacesetter, driving his well-proven Carisma GT. The Austrian has a good deal of experience, but reckons the opposition will be tough.

"I have never seen the roads like this in Portugal. In places, it is more like the Safari! I think it will be a good rally to finish and you will need to be clever as well as fast", Stohl commented.

Many of his most serious challengers are Latin Americans and one of his biggest rivals is sure to be Uruguay’s Gustavo Trelles, the four-times Group N World Champion driving a Lancer Evolution.

"Portugal is normally a nice rally, with good roads and a good atmosphere. This year will be a bit different I think. There is so much mud that in some places there is almost no road left and we will have to be a bit careful", Trelles warned.

Argentine drivers will be worth watching too, notably rising star Gabriel Pozzo, who will also be driving a Lancer Evolution. After showing promise last year, he is eager to take more victories this season. "Last year’s experience was very useful, but the stages look a bit different in these conditions. We will do our best, but it will be difficult to win with so much tough opposition", Pozzo said.

However, the favourite could well be local star Miguel Campos, the winner for the last two years in his Carisma GT and he will be a real threat to the championship regulars once again this year.

The rally is scheduled to begin with a crowd-pleasing super special stage at Baltar, east of Oporto, on Thursday evening, but the bulk of the first leg will be fought out on Friday, on the famous stages around Fafe and Cabeceiras.