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

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As the FIA World Rally Championship heads into the second half of its season, the teams and drivers are faced with one of the toughest, fastest, longest and most gruelling events in the series, the Safari Rally (11-14 July). Mitsubishi has won this legendary rally five times, on three occasions with the Lancer Evolution, its strength and reliability making it a dominant force on the African plains, and Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart is now looking for solid performances from regular crews François Delecour/Daniel Grataloup and Alister McRae/David Senior.

The Safari Rally offers a challenge like no other. In years gone by it has covered a staggering 6,400 kilometres and, while many say it is now a shadow of its former self, each individual leg is still the length of an entire regular FIA World Championship rally. The nature of the event means that part of the route is still fought out over open roads, although moves to improve safety are ensuring that more of the competitive sections are run on private estates, where roads can be closed and security almost guaranteed. This year, just four sections of road are used, a significant development in the history of the Safari Rally. Even so, the spectacular countryside offers images found nowhere else in the series. Masai warriors, dressed in resplendent red, mix with indigenous wildlife and overwhelming scenery, a stark contrast to the state-of-the-art world rally cars that race at breathtaking speeds across the dusty plains. The event is being run in July for the second consecutive year and, while temperatures are cooler at this time of year, the challenge posed by the length of the competitive sections, the high altitude, speed and roughness of the roads makes the Safari Rally an adventure of epic proportions. It is also the only event in the FIA World Rally Championship where spotter helicopters fly above the rally cars, alerting the crew to any stray wildlife or obstacles ahead. Not all drivers enjoy it, but the Safari Rally is still one of the few events every driver dreams of winning.

Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution WRC
Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart
F. Delecour / D. Grataloup
(Photo Rd.7 2002 Acropolis Rally)

The all-French crew of François Delecour and Daniel Grataloup have only previously contested the event once, finishing a fine fourth overall in 2001. This year however, significant route changes are likely to make this the most open round in the Championship, and another top result is on the cards for the Frenchmen.

"I would say anybody could win", commented François. "Certainly it gives us our best chance of winning this year. I like the Safari a lot. It’s very a different type of event, and from what I’m hearing, the conditions will be very rough. But, with 700 kilometres of new stages, it’s a very equal arena".

Team-mates Alister McRae and David Senior have never contested the event, although the British pair have previously completed the recce and gained valuable knowledge from the experience.

"I’m looking forward to the Safari", said Alister. "It’s a very different style of event, completely different from anything else. Driving such long sections and working with the spotters in the helicopter will be interesting as well, something I’ve never done before. It’s an event where outright speed is not necessarily important; the tactics are quite different and it’s a question of knowing when to push and when to back-off. Having said that, it’s a challenging event and I’m ready for it".

Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution WRC
Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart
A. McRae / D. Senior
(Photo Rd.7 2002 Acropolis Rally)

Commenting on the challenge of the 2002 Safari Rally, Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart team manager Derek Dauncey said: "The route has changed significantly this year to bring it more in-line with the Championship regulations and this will level the playing field, especially for us, being that both François and Alister have little experience of the event. The key is to find a competitive but not flat-out pace, see what everyone else is doing and then judge the speed accordingly. The winter rains have been long and hard in Kenya and it looks like we’re going to have a very rough event, it could prove to be a real car-breaker. The strength and reliability of the car is therefore paramount and we proved in Greece that we have this. We have a fifty percent win rate in Kenya and are looking to pass our years of experience onto François and Alister. They just need to avoid punctures and keep out of trouble".

The 2002 Safari Rally kicks off with a ceremonial start at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre (KICC) at 08:00 hrs on Thursday 11 July. This year’s route covers just four competitive sections, each run in both directions to make up a total of 12 competitive sections based around the new single service area at Suswa, 85 kilometres to the west of Nairobi. The opening leg, which starts at 06:00 hrs on Friday, covers four sections totalling 336.78 competitive kilometres. Saturday’s route includes five competitive sections, four reversed from the opening leg, while the final day of competition covers three sections, all previously run on Friday. The event covers 12 sections, 1,010.80 competitive kilometres in a total distance of 2,431.87 kilometres, before returning for the finish at the KICC in the centre of Nairobi on Sunday at 16:30 hrs.

2002 FIA Production Car World Rally Championship - Round 5

MITSUBISHI DRIVERS FACE SAFARI RALLY’S ULTIMATE CHALLENGE

Mitsubishi Motors drivers are preparing for what promises to be the toughest test of the 2002 FIA Production Car World Rally Championship, the fifth round, Kenya’s Safari Rally. Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution and Mitsubishi Carisma GT drivers feature strongly on the entry list, but they face a daunting battle with the elements and potent opposition alike.

Competition is tight at the top of the fiercely fought Production World Rally Championship and if Marcos Ligato has his way, there is every chance that the Argentine Lancer Evolution driver leaps into contention following the Safari, as he played a starring role in 2001.

"The Safari is a very tough event, but I liked it very much last year and we were very competitive. You need some luck and you cannot go at maximum speed all the time of course, because the roads can be so rough, but I think we can win it this year", Ligato stated.

One of his main opponents is likely to be 1987 Production World Champion Alex Fiorio, driving a Lancer Evolution, for although he has little experience of rallying in Africa, the Italian is a hugely accomplished driver.

"It has been a difficult season so far and we need some more points, but the Safari will be a big challenge and a new experience. I am looking forward to it", Fiorio commented.

Another Argentine Lancer Evolution driver, Luis Perez Companc, could be an outside bet, for he was sensationally quick on his first event outside South America, leading for a time in Cyprus.

"I have heard a lot about the Safari, but of course it is all new to me and it will be like a big adventure. We will try to finish, but I think anything is possible on a rally like this", Perez Companc said.

The potential victors also include Monaco’s Jean-Pierre Richelmi in a Lancer Evolution and Austrian veteran Rudi Stohl, driving a Carisma GT, along with Kenyan star Azar Anwar and Argentine Juan-Pablo Raies, both in Lancer Evolutions.