Telstra Rally Australia 1999
Thursday 4 November
COMMUNIQUE 2

MITSUBISHI MAKES STRONG START
TO TELSTRA RALLY AUSTRALIA

Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart drivers Tommi Makinen, driving a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution and Freddy Loix, driving a Mitsubishi Carisma GT, are both well in contention after the first stage of the Telstra Rally Australia, the penultimate round of the 1999 FIA World Rally Championship. Mitsubishis also hold the top four places in the Group N production class.

The rally began with the now traditional super special at Langley Park, on the banks of the Swan River in central Perth. Large crowds were treated to an aerobatics display and fireworks as well as ferocious competition between the world’s top rally drivers on the purpose-built track.

Tommi Makinen and fellow Finn Risto Mannisenmaki are the only crew who can clinch the World Rally Championship on this rally and made a fine start, settling into third place, just one tenth of a second behind their main championship rival, Toyota’s Didier Auriol.

"It was alright. It was a short stage, but quite slippery, with no grip at all in some places, so we were careful. It was very close with Didier. We will see what happens tomorrow", Makinen said.

Belgian crew Freddy Loix and Sven Smeets also made a good start and hold fifth place in their Michelin-shod Mitsubishi Carisma GT. They are less than a second behind the leader, proving that there is nothing to choose between the top drivers at World Championship level.

"It was perfect, much easier than two or three days ago. This new surface is completely different to last year and very slippy in places. You need to be careful and you cannot drive too aggressively", Loix warned.

Mitsubishi usually dominates the Group N production car class and the Rally Australia looks as though it will follow the pattern. New Asia-Pacific Rally Champion Katsuhiko Taguchi has grabbed the lead in his Lancer Evolution, ahead of World Championship contender Hamed Al-Wahaibi of Oman, Germany’s Uwe Nittel and triple World Group N Champion and series leader Gustavo Trelles of Uruguay.

The first leg continues tomorrow with a further 10 stages in the forests around York and Mundaring, east of Perth. They total 132 kilometres.

OVERALL CLASSIFICATION AFTER SS 1