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

Rallye Catalunya - Costa Brava 1999
Wednesday 21 April
COMMUNIQUE 4

MITSUBISHI DRIVERS FINISH THIRD AND FOURTH
ON CATALUNYA RALLY

Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart driver Tommi Makinen has extended his lead in the 1999 FIA World Rally Championship with a magnificent drive to third position in his Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution on Spain’s Catalunya Rally. Excellent support from Belgian driver Freddy Loix earned him fourth place in his Mitsubishi Carisma GT and Mitsubishi also won the Group N production category thanks to Hamed Al-Wahaibi in another Lancer Evolution.

Held in dry, partly sunny conditions, the last leg produced a thrilling battle at the head of the field on the tricky mountain roads near Lloret de Mar, witnessed by huge crowds. Philippe Bugalski won in a Citroen, which is lighter and wider than the four-wheel-drive cars and is built to different technical rules that make it very effective on asphalt. Spanish hero Carlos Sainz retired with engine problems after the final stage.

Tommi Makinen and fellow Finn Risto Mannisenmaki were in brilliant form, urging their Lancer Evolution to a series of fastest stage times as they turned up the pressure on Sainz. A superb performance, aided by Michelin’s tyres, produced the final podium place and useful points for the driver and the team.

"This has been a tough rally this year and I am very pleased to get third place, especially after we got this one-minute penalty when they said we jumped the start. The car and the team have been really good", Makinen declared.

Belgians Freddy Loix and Sven Smeets richly deserved their fourth place and their first points for Mitsubishi after a brave drive since their big Safari crash in February.

"My experience on asphalt with the Mitsubishi is not very great, so taking everything together, I am happy with the result, but we have to keep our feet on the ground and find some more speed", Loix stated.

"At the end of the day, this was a very good result indeed. Both drivers have done a fantastic job and our cars have been at the front from the start. Tommi was very much on the attack today and we always believed he would catch Sainz. Freddy has done well considering that he is still getting over his Safari injuries", said Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart team manager Phil Short.

Mitsubishi enjoyed yet more success in Group N, which is the ultimate test of the showroom car. Lancer Evolutions filled the first four places, with Oman’s Hamed Al-Wahaibi leading home Italian Giovanni Manfrinato and triple World Champion Gustavo Trelles of Uruguay.

"It was my first event on tarmac, but I had a very good feeling thanks to my experience in go-kart. The car has been great, no problem whatsoever and I am very happy to have won the event and to lead the group N championship at this stage of the season", Al-Wahaibi commented.

Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart will be in action again next month on the Tour of Corsica, which from from May 7-9.