Rallye Sanremo, which has provided mixed fortunes for the Lancer Evolution in recent years, poses another different challenge for the contenders, the mountain roads high above the Riviera resort in the northwest of Italy requiring centimetre-perfect lines, bravery and flawless concentration. The green wooded mountains are criss-crossed by a maze of twisty roads that wind over narrow passes and through tranquil villages, providing spectacular action for an audience with a passion for motorsport. Thousands trek into the mountains, camping overnight for the best vantage points and, while October provides beautiful autumnal weather, the pace is fast, furious and potentially treacherous with patches of damp Tarmac and slippery mud and leaves in shaded areas.

The Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart crew of François Delecour and Daniel Grataloup have competed here eight times, finishing in the points on no fewer than four occasions. Second overall in 2000 is the highlight of their Italian results, but the French crew is under no illusion that competition will, once again, be intense this year.

Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution WRC2 Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart F. Delecour / D. Grataloup (Photo Rd.10 2002 Rallye Deutschland)

"In Sanremo we’re looking at Panizzi being back, there’s Bugalski, Loeb and many other drivers, but we will see, I am quite confident", commented François. "I maybe don’t enjoy this rally, firstly because I don’t like Tarmac so much - except Corsica because I love the country - but for Sanremo I live in the past, when the event was in Tuscany and it was a long rally. For sure in Germany we saw the car was much better, but a problem in the last day meant it was impossible to prove it. We have a test before Sanremo and I know exactly what we need to do with the brakes and the potential we have with the suspension. There is no time to do more than this, but I am expecting something better again for this rally".

Team-mates Alister McRae and David Senior have five outings to their credit, the bulk of which has been in the competitive Formula 2 category. Victory in their class in 1994 underlines McRae’s potential on the Italian roads and the Scot is looking forward to returning to more conventional asphalt roads.

Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution WRC2 Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart A. McRae / D. Senior (Photo Rd.10 2002 Rallye Deutschland)

"After Germany, it’s back to more traditional Tarmac, flowing and smooth roads", said Alister. "I think we can be positive after the times François set in the second leg in Germany and we gained some good information from the event which should help us move the car forward again. There’s not a lot of time between the events, but enough to make some improvements. The car still needs some work on the braking, but hopefully we can address this during the test. It’s a pretty straight-forward event and tyre choice really only becomes a problem with isolated showers".

Adding to their comments, Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart team manager Derek Dauncey said: "Sanremo is 12 months on from the launch of our first World Rally Car and while we have different drivers and different circumstances, it will obviously give us a good indication of how much progress we have made. Certainly Germany was a turning point with the car, both drivers felt there was a big improvement and we now have more things to try to build on these on-going improvements. Sanremo has very consistent smooth tarmac, even traction and not a lot of corner cutting. Basically it’s a full racing event and one we’re looking forward to".

Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution WRC2 Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart