Makinen takes back title
lead in Kenya

TOMMI Makinen survived slippery conditions and rocky tracks to score a convincing win for Mitsubishi in the Safari Rally in Kenya on the weekend.

Makinen grabbed the lead on stage two and never surrendered it, notching up his 23rd world rally victory to join the growing list of most successful drivers that includes Juha Kankkunen, Colin McRae and Carlos Sainz - all having won 23 world rally events.

"It is a great victory because it was a hard rally and it puts an end to all the problems I've had here in the past," Makinen said.

"We needed a good strong car and we had it!"Makinen's Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution barely missed a beat during the marathon 1100-kilometre event, with the exception of a broken wheel rim sustained after hitting a rock on the final leg.

The Finn has now answered the challenge put to him by Ford Focus driver McRae - who won the last three events - to score his first win since the Rally of Portugal in March and move 10 points clear in the drivers' championship.

Harri Rovanpera was second in the Safari Rally, finishing just over 12 minutes behind Makinen after surviving a late scare when his Peugeot 206 encountered driveshaft problems. The podium finish moved Rovanpera into fourth in the drivers' standings and gave Peugeot six crucial points in its push for the manufacturers' title.

Armin Schwarz gave Skoda its best finish of the season to take third and made history in the process, as his win on Stage One was the first time the Czech manufacturer has ever led a world championship rally.

"It was great to lead but I was only keeping the same pace that we had in testing," Schwarz said.

The German lost the lead to Makinen on the high-speed section during Stage Two, but remained a threat to the leaders until he suffered two punctures on the third stage.

Francois Delecour (Ford Focus) was the only other driver in contention for a podium place but ended up fourth in his Safari Rally debut, just over two minutes behind Schwarz. Makinen's Belgian teammate Freddy Loix was fifth, although nearly an hour and a half behind Frenchman Delecour.

The tough conditions took their toll on the top contenders, as title hopefuls McRae and Subaru's Richard Burns both retired on the opening day with mechanical problems - in McRae's case ending his hopes of a record-breaking fourth straight win and 24th world rally victory.

McRae's teammate Sainz was also a casualty of the gruelling event, forced to retire early during the second leg with engine problems.

Makinen's victory and Loix's fifth place, as well as a win in Group N, moved Mitsubishi into the lead in the manufacturers' championship as Ford failed to score any points. Subaru also came away from the Safari empty handed, with Peugeot now edging closer to third spot as a result of their runner-up finish.

RALLY RESULTS
1 Tommi Makinen (Mitsubishi) 8hr38min37sec
2 H Rovanpera (Peugeot) +12min37sec
3 A Schwarz (Skoda) +18min15sec
4 F Delecour (Ford) +20min36sec
5 F Loix (Mitsubishi) +1hr44min02sec
6 Gabriel Pozzo (Mitsubishi) +2hr07min26sec
7 Marcos Ligato (Mitsubishi) +2hr07min50sec
8 R Green (Subaru) +2hr55min56sec
9 Azar Anwar (Mitsubishi) +3hr13min03sec
10 Rudi Stohl (Mitsubishi) +4hr41min23secDRIVERS' CHAMPIONSHIP
1 Makinen (FIN) 40
2 McRae (GB) 30
3 Sainz (ESP) 26
4 Rovanpera (FIN) 20
5 Burns (GB) 15
6 Delecour (FRA) 14
7 Auriol (FRA) 10
=8 Solberg (NOR) 9
=8 Loix (BEL) 9
10 Schwarz (GER) 7MANUFACTURERS' CHAMPIONSHIP
1 Mitsubishi 66
2 Ford 60
3 Subaru 28
4 Peugeot 26
5 Skoda 15
6 Hyundai 10Next round: Rally Finland, August 23-26