INTERNATIONAL SWEDISH RALLY (11-14 February)
1999 FIA WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND 2

Swedish Rally 1999
Sunday 14 February
COMMUNIQUE 4

SIX WINS IN A ROW FOR
MITSUBISHI LANCER EVOLUTION / CARISMA GT
MITSUBISHI DOMINATE TOP ELEVEN PLACES IN GROUP N

Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart has won the Swedish Rally, the second round of the 1999 FIA World Rally Championship. Tommi Makinen’s victory has given Mitsubishi its sixth World Rally victory in a row – a remarkable achievement in global motorsport. With two wins out of two Makinen has made the perfect start to his title defence.

Makinen and fellow Finn Risto Mannisenmaki had built up a secure lead after the first two days and eased their pace a fraction to take their second victory of 1999 in their ultra-reliable Lancer Evolution, beating Toyota man Carlos Sainz and Thomas Radstrom’s Ford. The World Rally Champion has now won the Swedish three times.

"It was harder than last year – I feel quite tired. It was just flat out all the time. Although I had a good lead, I had to keep concentrating today. The car has been excellent, with not one problem at all. I am very pleased to give Mitsubishi its sixth victory. Maybe we can take some more but winning is never easy," said Makinen.

Belgians Freddy Loix and Sven Smeets scored a fine result on their first attempt at this specialised rally, bringing their Mitsubishi Carisma GT home in ninth place after solid performance.

"Tommi has been superb. His car control is second to none in difficult conditions and his ability to judge a rally is excellent. It’s all down to a good car and a good team. Freddy has done exactly what we wanted and gained useful experience in these conditions," said Marlboro Mitsubishi team manager Phil Short.

Competitors faced treacherous conditions on the final day of the 1478-kilometre rally, held in cloudy conditions and temperatures just below zero. Large crowds were thrilled by a furious battle between rallying’s biggest stars on the icy forest tracks between Borlange and Karlstad.

In Group N, rising Finnish star Jouko Puhakka held off Swedish hero and fellow Mitsubishi driver Stig-Olov Walfridsson to score a conclusive victory in the category with his Carisma GT. Mitsubishi dominated the top eleven places in this competitive production car category.

"It’s a special moment for me. Group N is so competitive and it is never easy to win here. We couldn’t relax for a moment, but the car has been very good and I am very happy," Puhakka said.
Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart will be in action again in under a fortnight on Kenya’s Safari Rally, the third round of the World Rally Championship.

FINAL OVERALL CLASSIFICATION (PROVISIONAL)