Rally of Great Britain 1999
Tuesday 23 November
COMMUNIQUE 4

MARLBORO MITSUBISHI RALLIART DRIVER MAKINEN
IS WORLD RALLY CHAMPION - AGAIN!
LOIX FINISHES HIS FIRST
RALLY OF GREAT BRITAIN IN FIFTH

Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart driver Freddy Loix finished his first World Rally Championship season with an excellent fifth place in his Mitsubishi Carisma GT on the last round, the Rally of Great Britain. Tommi Makinen was out of luck, retiring his Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution with engine difficulties, but he is World Rally Champion for the fourth time after another brilliant season (subject to FIA confirmation).

The last leg of the rally was the longest and caused plenty of problems. Competitors faced 197 kilometres of stages, with deep mud and driving rain. The retirements included Peugeot drivers Marcus Gronholm and Francois Delecour, Skoda man Armin Schwarz, and both Toyota drivers, Didier Auriol and Carlos Sainz. Briton Richard Burns repeated last year’s victory with a win for Subaru on his home event.

Freddy Loix, co-driven by fellow Belgian Sven Smeets, has steadily gained confidence on his first attempt at Britain’s notoriously demanding round of the World Championship and his Michelin-shod Carisma GT has run faultlessly, allowing him to move into the points as other drivers ran into trouble.

"It’s been a difficult rally and an excellent result. I am also pleased to gain some really good experience. The stages in the Welsh forests have been wonderful. I feel a lot more confident about next year", Loix said.

Finnish team-mates Tommi Makinen and Risto Mannisenmaki were on course to finish in third place - their best result on the Rally of Great Britain - until a rare problem with their Lancer Evolution's engine forced them to retire with just three of the 22 stages remaining. Makinen is World Champion for the fourth year in succession, a new record, and has scored more wins in 1999 than any other driver.

"It’s the first time in my career with Mitsubishi that I have had a problem with the engine. It was very unlucky, but at least we have done most of the stages at full speed and we have learnt a lot about this rally. It has been a fantastic season and I suppose you must expect problems occasionally", Makinen stated.

"We’re delighted with our season overall. Tommi’s been World Champion again, our cars are highly competitive and Freddy is getting to grips with the car. It’s looking good for 2000", said Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart Director Andrew Cowan.

Mitsubishi has also enjoyed a superb season in the Group N production class, with a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution driver claiming the world title for the fifth year running.
Loix’s result confirmed Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart as third in the World Championship for Manufacturers in addition to Makinen’s brilliant World Championship success. The team is already preparing for the 2000 FIA World Rally Championship.

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