Germany : Mitsubishi Motors - Shakedown
The OMV ADAC Rallye in Germany could prove to be one of the trickiest events this season but the Mitsubishi Motors Motor Sports WRC team is well prepared for conditions on the first true asphalt rally of the season. Registered crews Harri Rovanperä/Risto Pietiläinen and “Gigi” Galli/Guido d`Amore ran the Mitsubishi Lancer WRC05s for the final time this morning and the two crews are set for whatever conditions lay ahead.

“Basically our work at shakedown this morning focused on confirming the work we did during our Tarmac test,” commented Principal Rally Engineer Roger Estrada. “With some fine-turning, the drivers seem to be happy. We are led to believe the weather will remain overcast and at the moment, no rain.”

Harri Rovanperä has limited experience here, the 2002 event being the only Rallye Deutschland he has contested. All too aware of the tricky nature of the roads and the importance placed on tires and weather conditions, the Finn is firmly focused on finishing the event.

“Shakedown was fairly standard for us, just testing different settings with the roll bars and suspension,” commented Harri. “This is only my second asphalt event with Pirelli, but I feel quite comfortable with the situation. The biggest downside is that this is like a new rally for me. I have completely new pace notes and while I don`t feel it`s a big disadvantage, I obviously have very limited memory of the stages. All in all it`s going to be a difficult weekend but we`ll be trying as hard as ever.”



Team-mate Gigi Galli has marginally more experience, although the Italian briefly led last year in the Group N Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution before retiring after an accident. “The most difficult thing about this rally is the weather and every where you turn there are different situations – narrow roads, mud, cuts, junctions; something different all the time,” said Gigi. “I plan to have a smooth rally and see if we can do something good for the team. This is only my second event on Tarmac with Mitsubishi (last event being Monte-Carlo 2004) and now it is a completely different car. It won`t be easy for us.”

OMV ADAC Rallye officially starts at the Porta Nigra (Black Gate) in Trier this evening, but the crews re-start in Bostalsee - 60 to the kilometers south east - on Friday for the opening leg over the picturesque but narrow and bumpy roads in the Mosel vineyards. Here, square junctions and fast straight roads are lined with tall vines, requiring precision driving. The leg takes in six stages and 119.38 competitive kilometers.


Tags: germany, mitsubishi, lancer, evo, omv-adac,