Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart has a strong three-car team for the Swedish Rally, the second round of the 2002 FIA World Rally Championship, and believes that it can live up to its fine record on this event. The trio of Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution WRCs will be driven by Frenchman François Delecour, Britain’s Alister McRae and Finnish newcomer Jani Paasonen.

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

Mitsubishi Motors also fully intends to build on its enviable record in the FIA Production Car World Rally Championship on the first round of its 2002 series. Mitsubishi Lancer Evolutions and Mitsubishi Carisma GTs dominate the leaderboard for the newly revised championship and a fierce battle for supremacy is in prospect.

Conditions have varied markedly in Sweden in recent days and after an icy recce with temperatures down to -10 degrees Celsius, the shakedown - 60 kilometres to the northeast of Karlstad - took place in much warmer, albeit still sub-zero conditions, with plenty of fresh snow. With the possibility of gravel coming through as more cars pass through the stages, tyre choice will be crucial. The Swedish is the coldest, the most slippery and one of the most spectacular rallies in the World Championship, and a unique test for tyre companies thanks to its snow and ice. All competitors will use studded tyres, but to be truly competitive, stud length and stud angle must also be chosen carefully. For Markko Märtin, the rally is over before starting, the Estonian having crashed his Ford Focus during shakedown leaving the team insufficient time to facilitate repairs before tonight’s start.

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

French crew François Delecour and Daniel Grataloup were pleased with the performance of their Michelin-shod Lancer Evolution WRC after a pre-rally test, but Delecour sounded a cautious note.

"The car is not bad at all, but I cannot really tell how fast we are until the rally starts tomorrow. I feel better about it than in Monte-Carlo, but this is a completely different rally", Delecour said.

British duo Alister McRae and David Senior carried out much of Mitsubishi’s pre-rally testing, and McRae cannot wait to put the Lancer Evolution WRC to the test on one of the rallies he knows best.

"It feels quite good. We didn’t test in exactly these conditions - it was a bit colder - but I’m more at ease than I was in Monte-Carlo and I definitely want to get some points here. We’ll be giving it our best try", McRae commented.

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

Jani Paasonen is one of the most promising of the new generation of Finns, and with fellow countryman Arto Kapanen, he could well make an impact on his first event in a Lancer Evolution WRC.

"I am happy. I did 250 kilometres of testing on Sunday and the feeling is good. It’s not easy to compare testing with a rally, because you know the test road better, but anyway, I have only to finish. The car feels good and well-balanced, but it’s most important to learn", Paasonen stated.

One of the leading Group N contenders is sure to be vastly experienced Uruguayan Gustavo Trelles, who has won the Production Car World Championship four times in Lancer Evolutions.

"I hope we can make a good start to the season and I think conditions will be nice, but I am also sure that the local drivers will be very hard to beat. This is one of the hardest rallies to win", Trelles promised.

Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution WRC Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart J. Paasonen / A. Kapanen

Italian Alex Fiorio is another former Production Car World Champion, but despite numerous successes, the Carisma GT driver admits that he is short of recent Swedish experience.

"This will be almost like a new rally for me. I hope we can finish and get a nice result, but we cannot expect too much. This is a rally for Swedes and Finns", Fiorio stated.

One of the men to beat is sure to be local hero and regular Production Car class winner Kenneth Bäcklund, driving a Carisma GT.

"Obviously, I know this rally very well and I have a good feeling for the roads here. I think we can do well, but the championship this year is going to be very tough", Bäcklund said.

Other likely front runners include Finns Kristian Sohlberg, Marko Ipatti and Juha Kangas, along with Swedes Stig-Olov Walfridson and Daniel Carlsson. It promises to be a hotly fought rally.

The 1876-kilometre rally begins with a ceremonial start in the capital of Värmland province, Karlstad, in the evening of 31 January, but the real action starts on Friday, with five stages totalling 124 kilometres.