Round three of this season's FIA World Rally Championship will take place in Portugal this weekend. With the new Citroen team only participating in four events this season, they will not be present in Portugal but all other six registered teams will be there. Tommi Makinen, Carlos Sainz and Harri Rovanpera who are joint leaders in the FIA Drivers' Series will be hoping to take the outright lead after this weekend's competition. It will also be a special occasion for Makinen as it will mark his 100th entry in a World Championship Rally. Since his first appearance back in 1987, he has won 21 rallies and four World titles.
Mitsubishi, Makinen's team, are hoping the Portugal event will give them a better idea of the headway they are making. "This will be the first chance to accurately evaluate the progress of our car, particularly after fitting the new rear suspension. For this rally we have developed this further, with new rear uprights and wishbones, designed to give more travel on the rebound," explained chief engineer Bernard Lindauer.
Meanwhile, the inclusion of this event as the second round of the FIA Teams' Cup guarantees a strong international second-level entry of drivers with World Rally Cars.
Filed by Amanda Fennelly
