CYPRUS RALLY PRE-EVENT RELEASE/MITSUBISHI MOTORS/2002 WRC

Map

The Cyprus Rally marks a return to gravel and Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart is looking forward to the first loose surface event in five months by fielding a trio of Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution WRCs. Regular drivers François Delecour/Daniel Grataloup and Alister McRae/David Senior will be joined by Finland’s Jani Paasonen/Arto Kapanen for this, the fifth round of the FIA World Rally Championship.

For holiday-makers, the Mediterranean island of Cyprus is an idyllic mix of old and new, the ancient land reflecting European and Middle Eastern influences, hot weather and beautiful beaches. It is however renowned as being one of the toughest loose surface rallies in the World Championship and, despite the event moving from the summer months to springtime, the crews could still face anything from high temperatures down near the coast to cooler conditions up in the Troodos Mountains. The Cyprus Rally also records some of the lowest average speeds in the series, a result of the narrow and twisty hard-wearing roads that snake their way through the pine forests. This, combined with an abundance of boulders and huge rocks has, in the past, made it one of the most car-breaking events in the Championship.

The strength and reliability of the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution is however renowned, a fact underlined by the team’s one-hundred percent finishing record so far this season and, mechanically, Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart has every reason to be confident of maintaining this achievement. The French crew of François Delecour/Daniel Grataloup have also gone well in Cyprus in the two years the event has been included in the Championship, recording a podium third position in 2000.

Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution WRC
Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart
F. Delecour / D. Grataloup
(Photo Rd.4 2002 Rallye Catalunya)

"It’s good to get back on to gravel and physically this is one of the most difficult rallies in the series", commented François. "I like driving in these conditions though and the hot weather we’ve had in the past has never bothered me - I much prefer it like this. It is not a rally I enjoy so much because it’s quite slow, but I have gone well there in the past and am looking forward to getting back onto the loose".

Team-mates Alister McRae and David Senior have only previously contested the event once, finishing just outside the points in seventh position last year on their first attempt. Like François, Alister is welcoming the return to gravel and looking forward to the team’s five-day test, which will confirm their final car set-up.

"The last two rallies have been difficult but we’ve learned enough to know what we’re focusing on", said the Scot. "I think we’ve every reason to believe the car will be more competitive on the loose surface; tarmac is much harder because you have to have a car that’s absolutely one-hundred percent, whereas on gravel it’s easier to drive round any potential problems. Cyprus is a good rally and well organised, but the stages aren’t so great because they’re slow and twisty, and whatever the temperature you never build up enough speed to get air through the vents, so physically it’s quite tough".

Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution WRC
Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart
A. McRae / D. Senior
(Photo Rd.4 2002 Rallye Catalunya)

Jani Paasonen and Arto Kapanen join Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart for the second time this season, the Finns running as high as fourth overall in Sweden before losing time when they hit a rock embedded in the snow. Despite not having driven the car on gravel, Paasonen is confident of a successful outing in Cyprus

"I have not driven the car on gravel yet but I know the team much better now and also how the car works", said Jani. "For me it is not a big problem because Cyprus is a slower rally - I think if I drive in Finland in the car for the first time it would be a little bit more of a problem! I am very happy with what I learned in Sweden though and hope we can go as well as we did before our problems".

Adding to their comments, Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart team manager Derek Dauncey said: "After each rally this season the drivers have commented on the reliability of the car and we take this as a significant strength to Cyprus. It’s a rally where you need to have a clean run and absolute reliability to get a result, and our test will focus on ensuring we have transferred that proven package from asphalt to gravel. I think we’re still looking at it being a hot event with temperatures the highest we’ve seen so far this season, and it will be interesting to see what the winter months have done to the roads. By all accounts Cyprus had quite a harsh winter with a lot of rain, and this can make a significant difference from year to year".

The 30th Cyprus Rally starts on Friday 19 April in Limassol and takes the crews directly to the north for six special stages and 96.32 competitive kilometres. Saturday’s second leg includes eight stages and some of the longest in the event and, while the third and final day is the shortest with only 81.88 kilometres of competition, the two loops of three stages totalling 40.94 kilometres will be no less of a challenge for the crews who have survived the rock-strewn roads in the Troodos Mountains.

Mitsubishi Motors drivers are the clear favourites to extend their lead in the 2002 FIA Production Car World Rally Championship on the Cyprus Rally after resounding victories on the first two rounds of the series. Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution and Mitsubishi Carisma GT drivers comprise almost half the 66-car entry and remarkably, no fewer than 29 are entered in the Production category.

Finland’s Kristian Sohlberg leads the series thanks to his Swedish triumph in his Carisma GT and is relishing the return to loose surfaces.

"Cyprus will be new to me, like most of the other rallies this year, and I know you have to treat it with respect. I think it can still be a good rally for us", Sohlberg commented.

One of his main rivals is sure to be Uruguay’s four-times World Champion Gustavo Trelles, driving a Lancer Evolution.

"This is one of the hardest rallies we do, but although it’s tough and you need a bit of luck, it is always special when you do well. We need a good finish", Trelles said.

Another South American, Peru’s Ramon Ferreyros, is also likely to be one of the front runners in his Lancer Evolution after strong recent results.

"I feel more confident after winning in Corsica, but that was a completely different rally and although I don’t think it will mean much when we come here, it’s still a good result to build on", Ferreyros said.

Thanks partly to the newly instituted Mitsubishi Trophy, which offers a prize of 5,000,000 yen at the end of the season, the competition is tougher than ever. It includes former Production World Champion Alex Fiorio of Italy, who has won the rally outright a record three times, but is competing for the first time since being badly hurt in a road accident in March. Other potential winners include Bulgaria’s Dimitar Iliev, former British Champion Martin Rowe, Oman’s Hamed Al-Wahaibi, Lithuania’s Saulius Girdauskas and highly rated Argentine Marcos Ligato, who is making his first appearance of the season. All six of them will drive Lancer Evolutions.