"I like this rally very much and I hope we can build on the good start to the year the team has had. The car is definitely better and I feel more confident with it now", Loix stated.

"Tommi has made an excellent start to his Championship campaign this year. However, this is the first pure tarmac rally of the season and once again, we’ll have to wait and see who is competitive. The French teams, Peugeot and Citroen, could be a real threat. I think everyone hopes we’ll get a nice, dry, sunny event after Portugal, but Catalunya is being held earlier than usual and that means the weather could be worse", said Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart team manager George Donaldson.

"We did quite a bit of testing over a month before the rally with Lasse Lampi and we’ve arranged another four days ­ two for each driver ­ in the run-up to the event. Tommi is very confident at the moment and can clearly win if things go well. With Freddy, we’re looking for a points finish. What I’m interested in is a consistent development in his performance. I believe we’re on track", Donaldson added.

For Mitsubishi’s tyre partner Michelin the tarmac challenge is giving the driver a tyre with high grip and high resistance to wear. On the long and warm Spanish stages the Mitsubishi drivers will need to manage the wear by knowing when and where to push if they want to set the best times.

Mitsubishi Motors drivers are also the hot favourites for the Group N production category on the Catalonia Rally. Mitsubishi Lancer Evolutions and Mitsubishi Carisma GTs have won Group N on the last 17 World Championship rallies and drivers such as Gustavo Trelles and Gabriel Pozzo will be determined to maintain that extraordinary record.

Spain’s round of the World Rally Championship is the first pure asphalt rally of the season, but while that means the stages are less punishing than those on some other rallies, they are certainly demanding. Twisting and winding their way through the Catalan mountains, they make huge demands of chassis and brakes, and driving skill is of course vital. The drivers’ efforts are sure to be appreciated, for Spanish fans follow rallies with a passion, even letting off fireworks sometimes to show their approval.

In Group N, the man to beat will be Uruguay’s Gustavo Trelles, driving a Lancer Evolution. He established himself on the international stage through rallying in Spain and he knows precisely what the challenge involves.

"The stages are always tough in Catalonia and there are some very long ones this year, especially in the second leg. I have a good feeling about the rally though and I am looking forward to it", Trelles said.

One of his closest rivals could well be another South American, Argentina’s Gabriel Pozzo. He also drives a Lancer Evolution and showed real promise on his first season in Europe last year.

"I don’t have so much experience on tarmac, so the important thing is to learn. Still, I hope we can get a good result and maybe push Gustavo a little bit", Pozzo commented.

Another Mitsubishi man to watch will be 1984 World Champion Stig Blomqvist, driving a Carisma GT. The Swede has already shown an impressive turn of speed this year in his first full season in a Group N car.

"This is a rally I don’t know so well, but I am sure it will be interesting and I hope we can worry some of these young drivers", Blomqvist said.

A host of drivers from a range of countries will be vying for success in Mitsubishis. They include Argentine newcomer Marcos Ligato, who played a starring role in Portugal, Lebanon’s Roger Feghali, who also drives a Lancer Evolution, as well as Spaniard Joan Font, Poland’s Pawel Dytko and Bob Colsoul from Belgium, all in Carisma GTs.

Based in the Mediterranean resort of Lloret de Mar as usual, the rally runs on March 23-25 and takes place entirely on tarmac. It covers 1,815 kilometres, with 18 special stages spanning 383 kilometres and many stages that are either new or run in the opposite direction to recent years. The first leg is the shortest running on traditional Catalan terrain north-west of Lloret, it includes six stages, totalling 101 kilometres. The second leg is by far the longest and four of its six stages near Tarragona cover more than 30 kilometres. In total, drivers face 163 kilometres of stages. There is still plenty of potential for change in the last leg, with another six stages closer to Lloret covering 118 kilometres.