Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart drivers Tommi Makinen and Freddy Loix start the Monte Carlo Rally, the first round of the 2001 FIA World Rally Championship, full of hope that a revised car will boost their chances of upholding Mitsubishi’s outstanding record on the event. Finn Makinen, driving a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, is aiming for his third successive Monte Carlo victory, while Belgium’s Loix is eagerly anticipating the new season in his Carisma GT.

Monaco is small, with a population of just 30,000, but the highly fashionable Riviera resort situated between France and Italy is steeped in motorsport of all kinds. From Formula 1 to classic car races the world-famous Monte Carlo Rally has become one of the highlights of the calendar since it was first held 90 years ago. Although the weather is often less hostile, drivers can expect to meet with a mixture of snow, ice and asphalt that tests their skills to the full. The Monte is nothing if not unpredictable and the finishers will savour the final kilometres through the principality on the shores of the Mediterranean after battling against the elements for three days on the twisty, demanding roads of the Alps. Vast crowds flock to the oldest and probably the most famous rally of them all, some of them even camping in the mountains overnight to ensure they get the best vantage points.

Tommi Makinen and fellow Finn Risto Mannisenmaki have a fine record on this event in their Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution and Makinen is extremely positive after trying the revised car for the first time in December 2000. He will test the new tarmac challenger for the first time this week (10 and 11 January) during a two day confirmation test in the south of France.

"The new car seems to be really good. The balance is better with the new rear suspension and I hope we can win this rally for the third time, but you never know. There are so many good cars and you can never be sure of anything on Monte Carlo," said Makinen.

"I am really looking forward to the start of the season. For Risto and me our only target is to get back to the top and to have number one back on our car, " he added.

Belgian crew Freddy Loix and Sven Smeets, who are beginning their third season with Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart, were the first to try the latest Carisma GT, exploring the car’s capabilities on asphalt roads in the south of France, and Loix noticed the improvement at once.

"We have been driving for the first time with this long-travel suspension and it is much better. It is also helping the front ­ it is helping the car everywhere. The engine is revving easier too," Loix said.

"It might be difficult to do but my target is to get back to the same pace I had a couple of seasons ago. It is up to me to make things better, get some more luck and have a good year, " continued Freddy.

"We have changed the Lancer Evolution’s rear suspension and wheel arches slightly, and we’ve made some small changes to the engine, which improve its characteristics. Tommi is very, very motivated and we are all anxious to see if he can win for the third time in a row. That would be incredible. Monte Carlo is always something of a lottery, but we’ve loaded the dice in his favour as much as we can. Freddy is looking at this year as a fresh start. He has had good stage times on the rally in the past and we are hoping that the changes to the car will suit his style. This will be my first rally with Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart and when I look at the preparations the team makes, both in testing and with ice note crews, I can see why it’s been so successful for the past two years. I’ve cast a fresh eye over arrangements, but when something’s not broken, there no need to fix it," said Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart’s new team manager George Donaldson.

"The toughest leg will probably be the one with the worst weather. We’ve got Sisteron-Thoard in the second leg and that stage can be a real killer ­ it’s so often decided the rally in the past. As usual, a lot depends on tyre choice," he added.

This year’s rally ultra-compact event runs from January 19-21 and there is no reduction in stage distance, it has a shorter route overall. It is divided into three legs and includes 15 stages, covering 388 kilometres. The first leg is the longest, with six stages concentrated on the classic Alpine roads around Entrevaux, Roquesteron and Castellane. Competitors face a total of 143 kilometres of flat-out driving. The second leg consists of five stages, covering 134 kilometres, but this includes two runs at the formidable Sisteron-Thoard test, which is the longest of the rally at 36 kilometres. The third is the shortest, with 84 stage kilometres, but a tough challenge nonetheless, for it includes two runs at a lengthened version of the most famous Monte Carlo stage of all, the legendary Col de Turini.