The Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart crew of Jani Paasonen and Arto Kapanen finished the 2002 Rally Australia in ninth position at the end of 388.64 kilometres of competition. Wet weather in the opening leg eradicated the team’s potential advantage with its road position, and although the conditions got drier throughout the rally, the subsequent start order resulted in yet more of a disadvantage.

Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution WRC2 Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart J. Paasonen / A. Kapanen

Marcus Gronholm, 2002 World Champion elect, romped to his fifth victory of the season with another commanding performance. Harri Rovanpera claimed second when Subaru’s Petter Solberg lost time with a lack of grip this morning, providing Peugeot with a one-two finish, its fifth consecutive maximum points haul. In the Drivers’ Championship, Gronholm now has more than double the points of his nearest rival and team-mate Richard Burns, despite retiring, remains second. The fight for second overall in the Championship will however be decided on the final round in Britain, where no fewer than six drivers will be vying for the slot. In the Manufacturers’ Championship, Peugeot once again extended its advantage, but Ford retain second having claimed points with Carlos Sainz and Markko Martin.

Forty-six of the original 69 crews contesting Rally Australia left Perth early this morning for the final leg of the event. In contrast to the previous two days, clear blue skies and warm 25 degree temperatures greeted them as they headed 110 kilometres south-east of the city for the concluding four stages in the Sotico pine plantation. Large crowds are always drawn to this complex to witness the cars being launched metres into the air over the famous Bunnings jumps on a spectacular downhill sequence.

Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution WRC2 Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart J. Paasonen / A. Kapanen

Jani Paasonen and Arto Kapanen continued to gain experience in Australia, the Finnish Lancer Evolution WRC2 drivers determined to finish their second event ’down under’.

"The car felt fine this morning after all the repairs last night, but second on the road has been difficult", commented Jani. "The stages were very slippery and soft on the edges, so if you run wide it’s easy to get caught out and it could easily flip you over. A lot of the stages are new to me and it’s difficult to judge the braking points and also to see where the road goes. I was talking to Juha (Kankkunen) this morning and he told me not to follow Kenneth Eriksson’s line because he tends to take quite big cuts and it was a bit unnecessary at this point. I’ve learned a lot this weekend; it’s a much more difficult event than I thought it was going to be and you have to have real trust and confidence in your notes. I’m still gaining that, because we have not so much experience here".

Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution WRC2 Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart J. Paasonen / A. Kapanen

Adding to his comments, Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart Team Director John Easton said: "It’s been a very frustrating event for us. Jani did his best with a lack of experience of the event and the fact that he was impaired by his road position in legs two and three, and of course the weather went against us on the first day. We’re obviously very pleased that François and Daniel were not seriously injured in what was a very bad accident. We’re also proud of the car’s strength which protected both of them from what could have been a disaster. We now go forward to Great Britain on equal points with Skoda and Hyundai, and naturally we’ll be working as hard as possible to ensure we emerge victorious".

Meanwhile...

Marcus Grönholm (Peugeot) led the event from stage three, the flying Finn seemingly unstoppable this year and he went on to claim his fifth victory of the season. Petter Solberg (Subaru), who held second position from stage seven, slipped down to third this morning when a lack of grip in stage 21 and 22 saw him drop nearly 30 seconds. Peugeot therefore claims its ninth maximum points haul, Harri Rovanperä benefiting from Solberg’s misfortune. Tommi Mäkinen cruised to the finish in fourth position, however the Finn’s Subaru was deemed by scrutineers and marshals to be running under the minimum weight today and he was ultimately excluded. Carlos Sainz therefore inherited fourth, the Ford driver narrowly avoiding retirement after a roll in stage 22 caused by hitting a rock in a rut. Team-mates Markko Märtin and François Duval were locked in a battle all day, Martin taking the advantage in SS 21 and Duval in SS 22. However, Duval went off the road and into retirement in SS 23, handing what then became fifth position to Märtin. Toni Gardemeister brought the lead Skoda home in sixth with Sébastien Loeb (Citroën) seventh. Four-time World Champion Juha Kankkunen, in the sole remaining Hyundai, was ninth until he was forced to pull off the final stage with a lack of oil pressure. Kenneth Eriksson (Skoda) therefore claimed eighth, and only nine of the manufacturers’ entered cars were classified.

Mitsubishi Motors drivers took a clean sweep of the top three places on the last round of the 2002 FIA Production Car World Rally Championship, Rally Australia. Austrian Carisma GT driver Manfred Stohl made a triumphant return to the World Championship, comfortably leading home Australian’s Ed Ordynski and Spencer Lowndes, both in Lancer Evolutions. Mitsubishi drivers took seven of the top 10 places in the class.

Mitsubishi Carisma GT Gr. N M. Stohl / I. Petrasko

The final leg of the rally was fought out in the Sotico Forest south-east of Perth, in the hot, dusty conditions for which the rally is famed. Large crowds were thrilled by the action as the drivers tackled the jumps for which the forest is renowned, but the drivers needed every scrap of skill and determination to cope with narrow, treacherous stages that soon became rough and rocky.

Manfred Stohl hasn’t driven a Mitsubishi all season, but instantly re-adapted to the Carisma GT to score a comfortable victory, against one of the strongest production car entries of the season. "Today has been quite tough because it has been hot as well as rough, but I am still very happy with our result. I think it shows I belong in a production car", Stohl commented.

Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution Gr. N E. Ordynski / I. Stewart

Second went to Australian veteran Ed Ordynski, the production class winner on no fewer than eight previous occasions on this rally in a Lancer Evolution. "I like to think we could have given Manfred more of a challenge if we’d had a better run on the first day, but it’s still been a very good result, considering the opposition", Ordynski stated.

One of Australia’s rising stars Spencer Lowndes was third (Lancer Evolution), with promising Finn Jussi Valimaki fifth in a Carisma GT.

In the 2002 FIA Production Car World Rally Championship, Lancer Evolution drivers Kristian Sohlberg from Finland and Peru’s Ramon Ferreyros were second and third to Malaysia’s Karamjit Singh after a tense, season-long battle in which all three had started the final round with a chance of seizing the crown. Mitsubishi drivers won no fewer than five of the qualifying eight rounds, claiming maximum points for the Japanese manufacturer on each occasion. And, Mitsubishi drivers from 10 countries claimed 13 of the top 15 positions in the Production Car World Rally Championship.

Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution Gr. N A. Fiorio / E. Cantoni