Mitsubishi hopes for rally success

Winning could make all the difference as the championship enters its closing stages with three rounds remaining, with Tommi Makinen aiming to make it four titles in a row.

As a pure tarmac event, precise handling and powerful brakes will be crucial, but Italy can be unpredictable in autumn and competitors may encounter either dry roads bathed in sunshine or torrential rain, with mud and wet leaves posing a major hazard.

World Rally Championship leader Tommi Makinen and fellow Finn Risto Mannisenmaki won the rally last year in their Michelin-shod Lancer Evolution and have high hopes of repeating that success in 1999.

'We need a win now that the Championship is so close,' Makinen said.

'I am confident we can do it. My Mitsubishi is in great shape and I enjoy driving on tarmac.

'It will be a great battle but I think we have an excellent chance.'

Mitsubishi Carisma GT crew Freddy Loix and Sven Smeets have a fine reputation on asphalt rallies, having made their names on similar events in their native Belgium.

Loix will be eager to silence his critics following a tough season, and his San Remo track record suggests that he will be one of the front runners.

He said, 'I have always liked this rally and I was very happy with the Carisma after our test in Italy. We have made progress and I think it will be nice to drive.

'Of course there is a lot of opposition and it will not be easy but we will be trying our best.

'We go to Sanremo quite confident, having won there last year.

'Our pre-event testing has gone very well. We're using active rear differentials on both cars for the first time and both drivers feel it will be a big step forward.'

The rally runs from October 11-13 and is divided into three legs, all held on tarmac, starting and finishing every day in the Riviera resort of San Remo.