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

Rallye Catalunya - Costa Brava 1999
Saturday 17 April
COMMUNIQUE 1

MARLBORO MITSUBISHI RALLIART FACES
CATALONIA RALLY WITH CONFIDENCE

Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart is well equipped to renew its winning run on the fifth round of the 1999 FIA World Rally Championship, Spain’s Catalunya Rally. It has a formidable entry comprising of Tommi Makinen, bidding to increase his World Championship lead in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, and Belgian Freddy Loix in a Mitsubishi Carisma GT. Mitsubishi is also strongly represented in the Group N production class.

The Catalunya Rally is one of the year’s most eagerly awaited rallies. It poses a fresh challenge as the first pure asphalt rally of the season, but it also attracts a massive public following, with plenty of foreign spectators joining the Spaniards cheering on their hero, Carlos Sainz. An exceptionally strong entry includes factory teams from Citroen, Ford, Hyundai, Seat, Skoda, Subaru and Toyota, as well as Mitsubishi, and five or six drivers are serious contenders for victory.

Tommi Makinen, paired with fellow Finn Risto Mannisenmaki, has been thrilled with the Michelin-shod Lancer’s performance in testing and reckons he has an excellent chance of scoring his third victory of the season.

"I like these stages a lot and I am looking forward to the rally, but there are so many drivers who can win this rally. Picking the right tyres may be difficult in these cold conditions", Makinen said.

Freddy Loix, who is co-driven by Sven Smeets, is competing for the first time since his Safari Rally accident, but will be well prepared for one of his favourite rallies after a comprehensive fitness programme and a thorough test in his Carisma GT.

"We had a good recce and there are only two stages that are new for me. The car felt very good straight away and I feel much stronger, although I get some pain in my back when I am tired", Loix revealed.

"There will be some problems, particularly in the morning with the cool weather and this humidity, but we’ve been very happy with the tarmac testing. We’d like to arrest this run that Ford are having", declared Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart team manager Phil Short.

Most of the top Group N drivers have chosen Mitsubishis and a close battle can be expected between triple World Group N Champion Gustavo Trelles, Austria’s Manfred Stohl, Oman’s Hamed Al-Wahaibi, Finn Jouko Puhakka and Swedish lady Pernilla Walfridsson.

The rally starts on Monday morning with a compact loop that covers 537 kilometres and includes eight stages in the mountains north of Lloret de Mar. The three-day event covers a total of 1,713 kilometres.