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Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart driver Tommi Makinen has a ten point lead as the 1999 FIA World Rally Championship heads for new territory for the 11th round, the China Rally. Makinen will be one of the favourites and has strong support from Belgian Freddy Loix in a Mitsubishi Carisma GT.
The only round of the World Rally Championship held in Asia, the China Rally will be a new experience for nearly all the top drivers and teams. As a result, it promises to be a real test of those traditional rally virtues, adaptability and initiative. The event is held north of Beijing, based in Huairou, close to the Great Wall. It is fought out in a picturesque farming region of woods and lakes, on challenging dirt roads that snake their way past rice paddies and over mountain passes. Mitsubishi will have an advantage over many other teams, as it has previously won the Hong Kong-Beijing Rally, which was held on similar territory.
Tommi Makinen and fellow Finn Risto Mannisenmaki have led the World Rally Championship all season and are the only crew to have won three rallies so far this year. Despite his lack of experience on the terrain, Makinen is bursting with confidence, eager to extend his lead in the Driver’s Championship.
"It will be my First visit to China. I know nothing about this rally at all, but I shall be driving to a win! There are only a few drivers who have experience in China and I don’t think knowing the roads will be so important. I am not worried about it at all, it is nice to have something new. We are still in a good position in the Championship, so I think this rally could be more difficult for the others than for us", Makinen declared.
Freddy Loix and co-driver Sven Smeets are also new to China, but the Belgian crew are becoming well used to tackling new rallies and will be on level terms with most of their rivals this time. Their Michelin-shod Carisma GT is well prepared to give them a good result.
"We don’t have much information about this rally, but I am looking forward to it. The roads seem to be like a mixture between Greece and Portugal and the last day will be quite quick. It’s been quite difficult for me recently, but it is good to have a new rally for everybody", Loix said.
"China will provide a unique challenge. On most events, we have built up a wealth of knowledge on road conditions, but here we are in the unknown. We have been told that the rally is not that different to the Acropolis or Argentina, but perhaps not as rough. The ambient temperature will be up to 30 degrees, so it will be warm and abrasive, which will affect tyre wear", said Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart Phil Short.
"I think Tommi will adapt to the situation swiftly. He does seem to grasp new stages very quickly and I’m sure he will go well. Freddy should be in a good position too, as the majority of top drivers have no experience in China", he added.
Mitsubishi will be aiming to maintain a remarkable run of success in the Group N class as well. Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution drivers have won the production class on all 10 rounds of the 1999 World Rally Championship so far and Mitsubishi has every chance of maintaining that record in China, as the entrants include triple World Champion Gustavo Trelles of Uruguay and his great rival, Oman’s Hamed Al-Wahaibi.
The China Rally is also the final round of the prestigious Asia-Pacific Rally Championship and it is set for a thrilling finish. Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution driver Yoshihiro Kataoka is level with New Zealander "Possum" Bourne and Kataoka therefore faces one of the toughest tests of his career if he is to earn the title. Fellow Japanese Katsuhiko Taguchi has already won the Group N category, but the Lancer Evolution driver will be present anyway to do battle with the World Rally Championship contenders.
In total, the event runs from September 16-19 and covers 1423 kilometres, with 22 stages covering 385 kilometres. Each leg starts and finishes in Huairou. The first leg is the longest, packing in eight stages, totalling 151 kilometres. The second promises to be just as tough, with 148 kilometres of stages, while the third and final leg includes six stages, covering 86 kilometres.
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