RALLYE MOVISTAR CATALUNYA-COSTA BRAVA (18-21 April)
1999 FIA WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP / ROUND 5

Rallye Catalunya - Costa Brava 1999
Monday 19 April
COMMUNIQUE 2

MITSUBISHI MAKES GOOD START ON CATALUNYA RALLY

Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart drivers are very much in contention for victory after the first leg of Spain’s Catalunya Rally, the fifth round of the 1999 FIA World Rally Championship. Tommi Makinen holds fifth place in his Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution and Freddy Loix is one place behind in a Mitsubishi Carisma GT.

A cool start did nothing to deter massive crowds of spectators from thronging the twisty mountain roads of north-eastern Spain to witness one of the strongest entries seen in recent times on a World Championship rally. No fewer than eight factory teams are taking part in the 35th Catalunya Rally. Warmer weather in the afternoon and a ferocious pace has taken its toll on Ford driver Colin McRae when he ran into turbo problems.

Triple World Champion Tommi Makinen and fellow Finn Risto Mannisenmaki have been amongst the leaders from the start, but although Makinen has been pleased both with his Lancer Evolution and the latest Michelin tyres, he admitted he lost a few seconds after picking the wrong compound for SS 5.

"We lost some time when we chose the wrong tyres, so we will just have to try harder. There are many kilometres to go", Makinen said.

Belgian team-mates Freddy Loix and Sven Smeets have driven smoothly and a little cautiously on their first rally since crashing on the Safari. Their Mitsubishi Carisma GT has been impeccably reliable and Loix is gaining places on almost every stage as his confidence grows. He stunned fans with the second quickest time on stage six.

"I need a bit more speed. It is not bad at all and I knew before the rally that we had a little bit of work to do, as I have not driven on an asphalt rally like this since last June", Loix declared.

"It’s been quite a satisfactory day. Both cars are in the top six and both are in points-scoring positions. Tommi’s had a fairly straightforward day and he’s in a good position to make a push on the long stages in the second leg. Freddy started quite carefully, but he is gaining places all the time and going very well considering that he has not driven the car much recently", commented Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart team manager Phil Short.

Mitsubishi is once again dominating the group N production car class where it holds the top seven places. Uruguay’s Gustavo Trelles leads Hamed Al-Wahaibi by just over a minute. Italian Giovanni Manfrinato lies in thrid place in his Carisma GT.

Tuesday’s second leg is the longest of the rally and takes crews south-west to the Tarragona area and includes a 45-kilometre stage, the longest stage of the event. It has six stages, totalling 169 kilometres.