"I have only done the event once before and led the Group N category by 30 seconds, in a Mitsubishi, before having to retire with fuel pump problems", commented Jani. "I remember some things about the event and now I understand the similarity between New Zealand and Australia, both of which are very slippery with quite narrow and very fast stages. My starting position will be good though and I think the car will go as well as it did in New Zealand. For me, I had to change my gravel driving style to something more like how I drive on Tarmac; neatly, take the speed down, go slow into the corners and then power out - that’s how it works well on these type of roads. Going into the event, I now feel pretty confident".

Adding to the drivers’ comments, Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart team manager Derek Dauncey said: "Australia is a very technical event, especially when looking at the tyres. The road surface is covered with spherical volcanic gravel and this means that tyres are absolutely crucial, particularly whether they need to be cut for both wet and dry conditions. It’s also a very fast, high-speed event where the set-up of the car is important. You have to get the right balance between the ride height and the suspension geometry. We’ll be carrying out a four-day test before the event in the Wellington Dam area to prepare base settings".

The 2002 Rally Australia kicks off on the evening of Thursday 31 October with the famous super special stage at Langley Park in the heart of the city, which draws in excess of 15,000 spectators over rally weekend. However, the crews take to the forests early the following morning for the first full day of competition around Dwellingup and Harvey, to the south of Perth. The leg, including the previous evening’s super special, includes nine stages and 135.68 kilometres of competition based around a new service area at Dwellingup, closer to Perth. The second leg takes the contenders east to the stages around Mundaring and sees the return of the spectacular York and Muresk special stages, famed for their superb scenery and stomach-churning jumps. The final leg returns to the famous pine plantation at Sotico, formerly known as Bunnings, for the concluding four stages and 105.69 competitive kilometres. Rally Australia covers a total of 24 special stages, 388.64 competitive kilometres in a total route of 1,571.98 kilometres, before returning for the finish in Perth at 16:00 hrs (GMT+8).

A brilliant performance from Finn Kristian Sohlberg gave him maximum points on the last championship round in New Zealand, but the Lancer Evolution driver knows that he needs to put in the drive of his life in Perth.

"Nearly all of these rallies are new to me, but there is no point in worrying about that. Australia has been a good rally for Finns in the past. We just have to start off aiming for victory", Sohlberg said.

Peruvian Lancer Evolution driver Ramon Ferreyros has been one of the championship pacesetters all season, but he needs his main rivals to perform badly if he is to take the championship.

"We are not the favourites now, but this is always an unpredictable sport and we have a good car, so all we need is a little bit of luck. I am looking forward to it", Ferreyros stated.

Italy’s Alex Fiorio can no longer become champion, but he is vastly experienced and could easily trouble the world title contenders in his Lancer Evolution.

"Australia is one of the most difficult rallies in the world, so it will be a real challenge for me. It has not been a bad season for us and I hope we can finish it strongly. For us there is no pressure", Fiorio said.

Mitsubishi drivers dominate the entry list and with so many well prepared Lancer Evolutions taking part, there is a wide range of potential victors. The most likely contenders include Britain’s Martin Rowe, who was a close second in New Zealand, Italians Giovanni Manfrinato and Luca Baldini, and Argentina’s Marcos Ligato. Former World Champion Manfred Stohl, top Australian Ed Ordynski, former World Champion Stig Blomqvist, and rising Finns Juuso Pykälistö and Jussi Välimäki are also capable of troubling the leaders. All of them will drive Lancer Evolutions and Carisma GTs.