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| PERFECT RESULT FOR MITSUBISHI |
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PRESS
INFORMATION
The Mitsubishi Motors UK Works Team recorded its first ever-one-two finish this weekend when Guy Wilks and co-driver Phil Pugh won round three of the Tesco 99 Octane MSA British Rally Championship, the Rally Isle of Man, with team-mates Gwyndaf Evans and Huw Lewis finishing in second place. Results showed that it was a dominant performance by the Mitsubishi team, with Wilks and Evans holding first and second positions throughout the rally’s 22 stages. With stage times in rounds one and two proving that its two red Lancer Evolution IXs are the championship’s top-performing cars, the team has been hoping for a first and second placing at some point this season. However, following the frustrations of round two, the Jim Clark Rally, the pre-event strategy this time was to get both cars home in top positions and not target a win if it was to jeopardise a two-car finish. The Rally Isle of Man also hosted a round of the Global Group Irish Tarmac Championship and therefore saw the addition of World Rally cars, which are ineligible for the British series, in the entry list. The event is renowned as one of the toughest in the calendar, with the island’s demanding roads testing the crew’s commitment - and the rally’s 168 competitive miles testing the car’s mechanical durability. Although the team was aware that former championship leader Manx-born Mark Higgins would be a tough opponent on his home soil, both Wilks and Evans are no strangers to the island’s roads and therefore set-off for the rally’s first four stages on Thursday evening looking forward to the challenge. The gauntlet was laid right from the start with Wilks and Evans first and second and Higgins third – a pattern that repeated itself for the day’s remaining three stages. Wilks started Saturday’s 11 stages with a three second lead and in fourth place overall – ahead of many highly modified WRC machines – with Evans was in second, seven seconds ahead of Higgins. For the Mitsubishi team all was going according to plan until SS9, when Evans clipped a bank at the side of the road and dropped time, placing him just 1.4 ahead of Higgins. However, the Manxman was unable to take advantage of the situation and, on SS10, put his Subaru off the road and was unable to continue. With his car’s wheel alignment rectified, Evans was now back on the pace and, as the day progressed, started to reduce the margin between him and his team-mate. However, with the drivers reminded that the strategy was to get two cars to the finish in leading positions, both Wilks and Evans adopted a fast, but safe pace to avoid the possibility of any mistakes, or put any stress on their car’s components. At the end of Friday’s leg Wilks’ lead was now eight seconds, with Evans nearly two minutes ahead of third-placed David Higgins in a Toyota S2000. Maintaining the same philosophy to that of Friday, the team watched its two Lancers embark on Saturday’s seven stages with fingers crossed – especially as rain had started falling on the mountain, the only interruption to a predominantly dry event. But they had nothing to be concerned about and, with both cars running faultlessly, Wilks crossed the line at the Douglas TT Grandstand to win his second British Championship round of the season - his performance good enough to see him finish an impressive third overall and first production car home. Evans followed 42 seconds later with his closest competitor, now Wyn Humphries in a Subaru, a distant eight and a half minutes behind! The result sees Mitsubishi only three points from the top of the British Team’s Championship table and Wilks second in the driver’s standings. Evans was relieved to finally get onto the scoreboard and now holds seventh place, his result recharging his hopes for the rest of the season. The team now prepare for round four – the Armagh-based Phillip White Tyres Ulster Rally on 31st August and 1st September. The Cirencester-based Mitsubishi Motors UK rally team is supported by HKS, Pirelli, Sparco, Speedline Corse, PIAA, Ricardo and Performance Friction Brakes. The team’s two Lancer Evolution IXs are built and run on events by ADR Motorsport of Chesterfield. Guy Wilks is supported by Mobil 1. Team Quotes Guy Wilks “It’s great to get my championship back on track. This event went so well for me. The car felt great so I was able to control things from the front without pushing too hard. Other than a slight knocking during Saturday, which turned out to be a loose gearbox mounting, the car ran perfectly. A one-two result is fantastic for the team – and for the British Championship, as it’s really tightened things up for the second half of the season.” Gwyndaf Evans “Guy and I got off to a good start and were able to set the pace throught the event. It’s great for the team to have finally got the result it’s been looking for – especially having been so close on the previous two events. I would have liked to have pushed more towards the end of the event, but it was important to look at the bigger picture. I’m so pleased to have finally got some points on the board. My championship campaign starts here.” Paul Brigden This is a perfect result for the team. We’ve proved before that both of our cars are the quickest and now that’s reflected in the results. It wasn’t our intention to go for a win, just to get both cars home in a good points scoring position, but this is a real bonus, especially as we’ve been hoping to achieve this result since we launched our two-car team at the start of 2005.” Rally Isle of Man – Results 1 Guy Wilks/Phil Pugh (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX) - 2:21:22.4 Tesco 99 Octane MSA British Rally Championship standings after round three
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For
further information please contact: Paul
Brigden, General Manager - Ralliart Mitsubishi
Motors UK Motorsport Press Officer
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