Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart workshop in Argentina

The FIA World Rally Championship is a truly international series that takes seven competing manufacturers to four continents in a season lasting eleven months. To ensure the best possible chance of success, wherever Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart is in the world, working conditions must closely match those at the team headquarters in Rugby, England, and hence the volume of equipment shipped to each event is beyond belief. Of the 14 events in the 2002 World Rally Championship, four take the team on a 48,000 kilometre round-trip to the African, South American and Oceanic continents for events in Argentina, Kenya, New Zealand and Australia.

In the past this has required at least one duplicate set of long-haul equipment, however, new developments for the movement of equipment are being put in place that will not only reduce the teams’ future capital expenditure but, as importantly, retain the high overall image achieved during the European events, where the movement of kit is so much easier.

This year, the World Rally Championship has commissioned a Ro-Ro (roll on, roll off) boat, available to all seven teams, to ship equipment to Argentina and Kenya, enabling the teams to retain the same high-standard equipment used in Cyprus and Greece.

Forklift trucks are used to move the rally cars

"Argentina and Kenya have been used as test events this year and if the system works to everyone’s satisfaction, then New Zealand and Australia will be added next year, covering all 14 events", commented Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart team manager, Derek Dauncey. "Some of the shipment costs are marginally more expensive this year, but we have to look at the situation from lots of different angles and evaluate the long-term positives. In the first instance, using the same equipment for long-haul rallies will ultimately reduce the team’s expenditure and negate the need for a second set of kit. For the future, this is a significant saving.

"As importantly, our image is retained worldwide; it means we can take our purpose-built service trucks and motorhome to events, rather than hire local vehicles which neither fully meet our standards nor generally reflect the image we wish to portray. On a day-to-day basis, hotel, fuel and personnel costs come down and we have already reduced our gravel wheel stock by 300 this year. The benefits are enormous and while there have been a few delays with the vessel, it’s nothing that wasn’t foreseen".

So, how does the system work?

Cars have to be totally clean for customs and agricultural clearance

  The vessel is organised through a company in England called YA Logistics, who liaise with each team about their individual requirements.

  A set fee is established for commissioning the ship and the cost to each team relates to the number of meters taken in an individual lane for each sector of the journey. As more teams subscribe, so the cost of the lane meterage reduces.

  This year, some the FIA Production Car World Rally Championship contenders have also bought into the system, both Argentina and Kenya being qualifying rounds of their series.

And where has the vessel been going?

  "The Southern Trader" left Savona in Italy on 6 April and arrived in Cyprus on 10 April, a 2,800 kilometre journey taking five days.

  It then departed Limassol on 22nd April, the day after the finish of the Rally of Cyprus, for Buenos Aires some 14,500 kilometres across the Atlantic Ocean. Eighteen days later the vessel arrived in Argentina’s capital city, met by Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart personnel who then drove the vehicles 14 hours to Villa Carlos Paz, the base for Rally Argentina.

The inside of the team’s service truck

  Two days after the finish of Rally Argentina (21 May) the vehicles were driven back to Buenos Aires where they re-boarded The Southern Trader bound for Greece. Thirteen thousand kilometres and 18 days later the vessel arrived in the port of Itea, again met by team personnel.

  From Greece on 17 June, a smaller vessel began its 7,200 kilometre journey through the Suez Canal and into the Indian Ocean bound for Kenya. On 28 June, fourteen days later, the ship will dock in Mombassa where the Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart personnel will then drive the 13 hour road journey to Nairobi.

  Three days after the finish of the legendary Safari Rally, the vessel will return to Savona, a 9,300 kilometre, 16 day ocean journey.

  In total, the ships will have travelled 56,100 kilometres over 71 days.

So what has Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart been shipping?

  Two 17-ton service trucks
  One 17-ton support truck
  Two 7.5-ton recce trucks
  Two 9-seater mini-buses
Four recce cars Three management cars

All equipment is meticulously prepared before shipping