The Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart crew of François Delecour and Daniel Grataloup claimed a manufacturer point for Mitsubishi today when they brought their Lancer Evolution WRC back to Lloret de Mar in ninth position, sixth of the registered manufacturers’ drivers. Team-mates Alister McRae and David Senior finished 13th.

Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution WRC Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart F. Delecour / D. Grataloup

Peugeot has again taken maximum points for the third consecutive event and in doing so has extended its lead to a commanding 27 point advantage over nearest rivals Ford. In the Drivers’ Championship, Marcus Gronholm maintains his position at the top of the leaderboard, but Panizzi’s second consecutive victory has moved him into second and within one point of his team-mate. Dominating the top of the leaderboard, Peugeot’s Richard Burns is third.

The final leg of Rallye Catalunya-Costa Brava took the remaining 45 contenders back to the northwest of Lloret de Mar for two loops of three stages totalling 106.26 competitive kilometres. Clear blue skies promised another hot day in the hills for the thousands of spectators who poured into the stages and few can have been disappointed, yesterday’s problems eradicated. The most celebrated stage of them all, the 35 kilometre Viladrau, attracted so many spectators that people were even forced to park seven kilometres away and walk to the famous bridge where an aerial view of the popular hairpin bend is worth the trek.

Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution WRC Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart F. Delecour / D. Grataloup

As promised, the Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart crew of François Delecour and Daniel Grataloup started the day on a charge, the French pair overhauling Freddy Loix in the Hyundai and Skoda’s Toni Gardemeister within three stages. A furious battle between the trio for ninth position - and more importantly the last manufacturer point - ensued, but Delecour held on to his lead, beating Loix by just two seconds after 348.12 competitive kilometres.

"We started on a big charge, but the last three stages were maximum attack plus, totally committed in all the corners in all the stages", said François. "We had a ’moment’ in stage 18 when I braked too late for a sixth gear roundabout; lots of smoke and sideways but I managed to hold it together. Getting one point here is good because it demonstrates that we’ve made another step forward. Our performance is better than Corsica and the car is very good on the slippery tarmac. I’m now looking forward to the gravel in Cyprus; I’ve had some good results there in the past and I’m sure the strength and reliability of the car will be an advantage. I think we’ll be able to go flat-out all the time".

Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution WRC Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart A. McRae / D. Senior

Team-mates Alister McRae and David Senior have had a trouble-free run today, although a spin in the first stage dropped them time. "The car’s been completely reliable and it’s good to get to the finish of what was quite a tough event competition-wise", commented Alister. "Obviously it’s good to continue the team’s one hundred percent finishing record and personally this is my 19th finish from the last 22 events. When we get onto the gravel we’ll be able to use the experience we’ve gained so far this year and improve the performance even further".

Adding to their comments, Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart team manager Derek Dauncey said: "It’s fantastic to score points for the third event in a row, and François had a great battle today. We’ve moved forward in the last four rallies and naturally the development will be on-going during the summer for the remaining asphalt rounds. We have an extensive test planned for Cyprus and are looking forward to a surface that traditionally suits the car very well".

Meanwhile...

Gilles Panizzi took a second consecutive victory, rewarding Peugeot with its third win of the season. The asphalt expert thrilled the crowd with his stunning pace and even found time to do a couple of ’donuts’ on the famous hairpin in Viladrau 1! Team-mate Richard Burns recorded his best finish since joining the French manufacturer, the Briton’s second place giving it its third consecutive maximum points haul in four events. Philippe Bugalski claimed third in the sole remaining factory-supported Citroën Xsara WRC, team-mate and Rallye Monte-Carlo sensation Sébastien Loeb retiring from fourth position after rolling and damaging the suspension. Peugeot’s third car, piloted by former World Champion Marcus Grönholm, returned to Lloret de Mar in fourth place. Petter Solberg (Subaru) finished fifth, the Impreza contesting its 100th World Championship rally, and a brave drive by Colin McRae (Ford) rewarded the Scot with one point, despite being handicapped by a broken finger. Markko Märtin (Ford) and Harri Rovanperä (Peugeot) battled for seventh position, the duo split by less than a handful of seconds after Märtin’s equal fastest time on SS17, but the Finn managed to inch ahead in the final stage. François Delecour, Freddy Loix (Hyundai) and Toni Gardemeister (Skoda) fought hard throughout the day, but the French Mitsubishi driver ultimately held off their assault to claim the last point in the Manufacturers’ Championship by two seconds.

Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution Gr.N P. Tsjoen / D. Colebunders

Despite not being a round of the FIA Production Car World Rally Championship or Mitsubishi Trophy, Group N drivers contested the event and Mitsubishi’s cars once again reigned supreme. Pieter Tsjoen claimed the category victory by a massive 11 minutes 52.5 seconds over Tobias Johansson. Fabio Frisiero and Ildefonso Garcia finished third and fourth respectively, all four driving Mitsubishis. Of the seven finishers, five were Mitsubishis.

Coming next...

Round 5 of the FIA World Rally Championship takes the contenders to the Mediterranean island of Cyprus (19-21 April) for the first gravel round this season. The twisty and rough roads in the Troodos Mountains provide a serious test of mechanical reliability but the heat is likely to be off, being that the event has moved from June to springtime. Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart will be fielding three Lancer Evolution WRCs in this event, regular drivers François Delecour and Alister McRae joined by Finland’s Jani Paasonen.