Acropolis Rally 1999
Monday 7 June
COMMUNIQUE 3

MITSUBISHI DRIVERS MAKINEN AND LOIX HOLD
SECOND AND FIFTH ON ACROPOLIS RALLY

Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart drivers Tommi Makinen, driving a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, and Belgium’s Freddy Loix, at the wheel of a Mitsubishi Carisma GT, are perfectly positioned to bid for the lead after the first leg of the Acropolis Rally. Makinen lies in second place overnight with team-mate Loix in fifth. Mitsubishi has already taken command of the Group N production class.

Competitors have faced gruelling conditions during the first of the rally’s three legs in the dusty hills of Attika, north of Athens. Exceptionally rough stages have combined with 34-degree heat to test reliability to the limit. The strain has already proved too great for Didier Auriol, who broke his Toyota’s suspension and Peugeot’s Marcus Gronholm, who wrecked the clutch. Ford’s Colin McRae is leading the event but team-mate Thomas Radstrom retired after hitting a rock which caused terminal engine problems.

World Rally Championship leaders Tommi Makinen and Risto Mannisenmaki have performed brilliantly to take second place despite the disadvantage of running first on the road. The Finns had to sweep away loose gravel for other cars in their ultra-reliable Lancer Evolution, costing them vital grip and increasing tyre wear.

"It’s been very good today. The gravel has given us a lot of wheelspin and made it hard for the tyres, but it has been better than I thought. I am very pleased with our position", Makinen said.

Freddy Loix and Sven Smeets have been up with the leaders from the start in their Michelin-shod Carisma GT. Loix, who finished fifth on the event last year, is thrilled to be challenging for the lead after the first leg.

"I have been driving a little too gently on some stages, but fifth is a good place to start tomorrow. It’s getting better all the time", Loix promised.

"Today has gone very well: we have both cars in the top five. Our instructions to the drivers were not to push today, but just to maintain a good, safe speed and they’ve had no real problems at all. Tomorrow will be an interesting day and any of the top six have a chance of victory", stated Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart team manager Phil Short.

Mitsubishis hold the top three places in Group N, with Oman driver Hamed Al-Wahaibi leading Austrian Manfred Stohl and the man they all want to beat, triple World Group N Champion Gustavo Trelles.

"The heat doesn’t cause too many problems for us, but I know it’s going to be a big fight tomorrow with Manfred and Gustavo", said Al-Wahaibi.

The second leg is the longest and possibly the toughest of the rally. It includes eight stages, totalling 166 kilometres, concentrated near Itea and Gravia.

OVERALL CLASSIFICATION AFTER LEG 1

Note: Richard Burns took a deliberate 30 seconds penalty at
the end of leg 1 so that he could run 4th on the road for leg 2