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

Rallye Catalunya - Costa Brava 1999
Tuesday 20 April
COMMUNIQUE 3

MITSUBISHI CARISMA GT DRIVER LOIX STARS ON CATALUNYA RALLY

Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart driver Freddy Loix has played a starring role on his return from injury climbing to fourth on Spain’s Catalunya Rally, the fifth round of the 1999 FIA World Rally Championship, in his Mitsubishi Carisma GT. Team mate and World Rally Champion Tommi Makinen is running in the points in fifth place. Another Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution driver, Hamed Al-Wahaibi, leads the Group N production class.

The second leg of the rally took place on fast, highly abrasive asphalt roads near Tarragona, west of Barcelona posing a tough challenge for both cars and tyres. Massive crowds have witnessed a day packed with incident; early leader Jesus Puras retired his Citroen with engine trouble, while tyre problems slowed Ford man Colin McRae and Armin Schwarz’s Skoda.

Freddy Loix and fellow Belgian Sven Smeets have performed brilliantly in their Michelin-shod Carisma GT to hold fourth place at the end of the second day. Remarkably, Loix is recovering from a neck injury and has not driven on a pure asphalt rally since last June.

"To be in fourth is nice, but we have some work to do; 60 per cent for me and 40 per cent for the car. I have to change my driving style a bit, which is not so easy", Loix said.

Flying Finn Tommi Makinen and co-driver Risto Mannisenmaki were adjudged to have jumped the start on the first stage of the morning, which earned them a minute penalty. The Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution crew might otherwise have been in third place, especially as Makinen was delighted with the car’s handling.

"The car has been very good, but it has been really tough for the tyres in the Spanish heat this afternoon. The rally is not over yet and we will be attacking hard tomorrow", Makinen said.

"Both drivers have performed superbly and Freddy has held together very well on what was always going to be a tough day for him. We’re upset about Tommi’s alleged jump start and until I’ve seen all the evidence the issue remains open", said Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart team manager Phil Short.

Mitsubishi Lancer Evolutions have continued to dominate in Group N - the category that tests production cars to the limit. Oman’s Hamed Al-Wahaibi is putting in a sensational performance on his first asphalt rally to lead far more experienced rivals.

The final leg is the shortest, with five stages totalling 91 kilometres in the mountains north-east of Barcelona before the finish in Lloret de Mar.