Rally New Zealand 1999
Wednesday 14 July
COMMUNIQUE 1

MITSUBISHI POISED FOR RALLY OF
NEW ZEALAND SUCCESS

Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart stands an excellent chance of adding the Rally New Zealand, the ninth round of the 1999 FIA World Rally Championship, to its list of victories after a successful shakedown test. Lancer Evolution driver Tommi Makinen and Belgian team-mate Freddy Loix, in his Carisma GT, are delighted with their preparations. Mitsubishi is also confident of success in Group N and the Asia-Pacific Rally Championship which is run as part of the Rally of New Zealand.

New Zealand provides a stark contrast to the heat and rough roads of the last World Championship round in Greece. It is the middle of the Southern Hemisphere’s winter and the smooth, demanding tracks of North Island are likely to be affected by rain and mud.

World Rally Championship leaders Tommi Makinen and Risto Mannisenmaki are seeking their first New Zealand victory in their Michelin-shod Lancer Evolution, but Makinen believes that the latest improvements on his car give him a excellent chance.

"We have done some good testing since the Acropolis. The suspension is a bit different and the car feels very good. It is important to set the car up so that it is easy to drive, but still fast, because these stages are so fast. I like these stages - they are like Finland, but more twisty in places. They are some of the best stages in the world. Of course it is important to try to win all rallies and I will try to win here - but for the championship it is important to finish", Makinen commented.

Although Belgians Freddy Loix and Sven Smeets are novices in New Zealand, the Carisma GT crew could easily boost Mitsubishi’s position in the World Rally Championship for Manufacturers with a points finish, as they proved with an excellent result on the Acropolis Rally.

Loix’s confidence was given a major boost with another crushing victory on home soil on the Ypres-Westhoek Rally last month. It proved that Loix is now very much at home driving the Mitsubishi.

"I was expecting New Zealand to be more twisty, but to me, it is more similar to Sweden or Finland - fast and flowing - but with fewer crests. As a driver, it is a nice rally, but maybe not when you do it for the first time! I don’t know what kind of result we can get here. For me, if I finish it will be good", Loix said.

"I think it’s going to be quite a close battle. There are quite a few crews capable of winning, but I am sure that finishing third last year will help Tommi. He’s a lot more confident and he’s pleased with the progress we've made in testing. We’re in quite an optimistic frame of mind", claimed Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart team manager Phil Short.

Mitsubishis dominate a formidable entry in Group N. Oman’s Hamed Al-Wahaibi renews his duel with Uruguayan triple World Champion Gustavo Trelles. In the Asia-Pacific series, Yoshihiro Kataoka bids to extend his commanding points lead in his Group A Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution.

The 1680-kilometre rally begins with an exciting two-kilometre special stage which the cars contest two at a time on Thursday evening 15 July.