MITSUBISHI DRIVER MAKINEN AIMS TO CLINCH TITLE
ON TELSTRA RALLY AUSTRALIA

Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart driver Tommi Makinen can clinch the World Rally Champion title for an amazing fourth consecutive season on the penultimate round of the 1999 FIA World Rally Championship, the Telstra Rally Australia. Driving a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, Makinen is aiming for a knockout blow and he can count on strong support from team-mate Freddy Loix in a Mitsubishi Carisma GT.

The Rally Australia is one of the newest, but also one of the most popular rounds of the World Championship. First held in 1988, it is based in Perth and uses exceptionally demanding forest roads in Western Australia. High speeds and a uniquely slippery surface make it a searching test of driving skill and tyre technology - but Mitsubishi has no fears in that department, thanks to its successful partnership with Michelin. This year's rally promises to be faster than ever - for the first time the leading drivers can choose their re-start positions each day to get the best road conditions, which means that driving flat out is the only tactic.

Makinen and fellow Finn Risto Mannisenmaki are the only crew who can make sure of the world title in Australia. If they finish four points ahead of Toyota's Didier Auriol, the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution crew will be unbeatable on the Rally of Great Britain. A win in Australia will make Makinen champion even if Auriol finishes second - it would also give the Finn a landmark 20th World Rally victory. Makinen's record on the event is impressive - he was second in 1997 and has won twice before in 1996 and last year.

"I'm very confident at the moment and Australia has always been good for me. It is always a difficult event, but it is my favourite rally and I would not like to leave things to the Rally of Great Britain. But of course Didier will be fast and there are a lot of guys who don't care about the championship any more and they will just go flat out," Makinen said.

Belgians Freddy Loix and Sven Smeets have contested the Rally Australia twice before and know what to expect, they finished in the points last year. Loix's confidence has been boosted by an excellent fourth place on Italy's Sanremo Rally and he knows Australia is an opportunity to show that he can perform well with the Mitsubishi Carisma GT in any conditions. "I'm hoping to get the same sort of result we got in Sanremo. I enjoyed that and I think I learnt a lot. I hope I can find out more about the car when we do some more testing before the rally. It is always a tricky event though, because it is slipper and in some places the trees are very close to the road," Loix said.

"On paper, it looks fairly similar to last year, but it's always a tough challenge and there are a lot of stage kilometres in the second and third legs. The new seeding system means the pace will be hotter and it will be an interesting experiment to see how it works. Tommi needs to score four more points than Didier, which isn't necessarily easy to do. We'd like to sort it out in Australia, but it's been a very unpredictable season and you never know which events will produce good results. Freddy's got some testing coming up and we would hope for a good result from him too," commented Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart team manager Phil Short.

The Group N production class battle is also nearing a climax - but it is already certain that a Mitsubishi driver will win. Gustavo Trelles has a 16-point lead over Oman's Hamed Al-Wahaibi, both men driving Lancer Evolutions. As a triple World Champion for Mitsubishi, Trelles is very much the man to beat, but Al-Wahaibi is determined to prove that the Uruguayan can be beaten.

The rally lasts four days and covers 1,423 kilometres, with 23 stages covering 398 kilometres. The first leg begins with the spectacular super special in Langley Park in Perth, then heads east of Perth to the York area. It includes 11 stages, totalling 134 kilometres. The second leg is the longest and probably the toughest. A long day south of Perth includes just eight stages, but they cover 160 kilometres, including the daunting, 45-kilometre Wellington Dam test. Another 102 kilometres of stages conclude the decisive part of the third and final leg.