Rallye de Portugal 1999
Wednesday 24 March
COMMUNIQUE 5

MITSUBISHI DRIVER MAKINEN KEEPS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
LEAD ON RALLY OF PORTUGAL

Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart driver Tommi Makinen has retained his lead in the 1999 FIA World Rally Championship. He finished the fourth round of the Championship, the Rally of Portugal in fifth place after a spectacular drive in his Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution. Mitsubishi also celebrated a crushing victory in the Group N production class thanks to Portugal’s Miguel Campos.

The pace at the head of the field intensified on the final leg of the rally. Held in partly cloudy, partly sunny conditions, competitors battled furiously for fractions of seconds on the sandy, treacherous stages winding through the hillsides of northern Portugal. They tackled some of the most famous stages in Portugal, such as Aboboreira and Lousada.

Tommi Makinen and fellow Finn Risto Mannisenmaki were consistently the quickest crew during the final leg setting three out of four fastest stage times. The Finns made a thrilling attempt to grab fourth place from Subaru’s Richard Burns in their trouble-free Lancer Evolution, which has already given them two victories this year.

"The car has gone very well today and our Michelin tyres have been very good, but there were just too few stages left for us to get fourth place. I think fifth is good on this tough rally. We are still leading the championship, which is the most important thing", said the triple World Champion.

"It was always going to be a struggle for Tommi to take fourth today. There was always a small chance, but cancelling two stages yesterday made it almost impossible. We were happy with the performance of the car and Tommi was very quick yesterday and today. Winning could have been very much on the cards, had it not been for our problems on the first day." declared Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart team manager Phil Short.

Mitsubishi has long excelled in the Group N production category and collected the top two places thanks to a scintillating drive from Portugal’s rising star Miguel Campos. Triple World Champion Gustavo Trelles from Uruguay finished second, driving another Lancer Evolution.

"This is the best result of my career. The car has been fantastic and I am delighted to have scored such a prestigious victory", said Campos.

Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart will soon be in action again on the fifth round of the World Rally Championship, Spain’s Catalonia Rally, which starts on April 18.