Jani Paasonen and Arto Kapanen are absorbing every snip of information from both their team-mates and colleagues in the team who have vast knowledge of this event. Having never competed here previously, the test and recce have been vital for the Finns and they have worked hard to reach a confident state prior to the start of the event. "We have talked to a lot of the Finns about the event and their experience has been very useful for us", said Jani. "The roads are very like Finland, fast but with much more loose gravel on the surface. Both Arto and I spent time watching the rally on television before we came here so we have tried to do as much as possible to help us during the event. I am very happy with the feeling for the car, and I think our experience here will help us again for our final two outings this year in Australia and Great Britain".

Adding to their comments, Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart team director John Easton said: "Our starting positions should be good for us, certainly if it remains dry, and we must take advantage of this on Friday. It will be interesting to monitor Jani’s performance, being that the roads are very like those in Finland. His objective is to go for it and set competitive times – there is no question of him just driving for a finish. We also spoke to Alister earlier, and he has had another scan back in the UK. His condition certainly seems to be improving, so we’re pretty optimistic that we’ll see him back in the car for Australia".

Auckland, the City of Sails, is now alive with the buzz of world-class sport and while the 2002 Rally New Zealand starts tonight, the yachting fans have already enjoyed a couple of days of sailing action for the America’s Cup, despite high winds forcing the cancellation of today’s heats. After tonight’s ceremonial start in the centre of Auckland, the rally begins in earnest on Friday morning, the opening leg taking the crews south for eight special stages and 117.16 competitive kilometres, including the spectacular Whaanga Coast stage.

Mitsubishi Motors drivers will be aiming for World Championship success when Rally New Zealand, the seventh and penultimate round of the 2002 FIA Production Car World Rally Championship, begins in the country’s largest city, Auckland. Mitsubishi Lancer Evolutions and Mitsubishi Carisma GTs dominate the entry, with Peru’s Ramon Ferreyros and Finn Kristian Sohlberg best placed in the Production Car Championship.

Ramon Ferreyros is Mitsubishi’s World Championship front runner, the Peruvian Lancer Evolution driver shadowing Malaysia’s Karamjit Singh.

"I am looking forward to the rally very much. I don’t think we can have any tactics. We just have to go flat out from the start, because we have to beat Singh if he finishes", Ferreyros stated.

Kristian Sohlberg scored maximum points on the Swedish Rally in his Lancer Evolution and needs a similar result in New Zealand if he is to stand any chance of gaining the world title.

"It’s going to be difficult, because a lot of the other drivers have been here before and it is completely new for me. Still, the stages are very nice and we just have to attack", Sohlberg commented.

Italy’s Alex Fiorio is also in the Production Championship running and his morale was boosted by setting fastest Production time at the shakedown in his Lancer Evolution.

"It was good to be fastest, but of course it will be very different tomorrow. We just have to make sure we finish and make no mistakes", Fiorio said.

Potential front runners for Mitsubishi also include former British Champion Martin Rowe, Bulgarian Dimitar Iliev, Italian Luca Baldini and Argentina’s Marcos Ligato. They could face a stern challenge for Group N supremacy from former Production Car World Champion Manfred Stohl and rising Finn Juuso Pykälistö, who have also chosen Lancer Evolutions or Carisma GTs. All told, 27 of the 81 starters are using Production class Mitsubishis, making them much the most popular choice.