SAFARI RALLY KENYA ‘98
Monday 2, March
LEG 3 - 560,82 kms - 5 CS 341,35 kms
COMMUNIQUE N° 4

MITSUBISHI CARISMA GT WINS SAFARI RALLY KENYA AND
LANCER TAKES 1-2 IN GROUP N

Team Mitsubishi Ralliart driver Richard Burns scored his first ever World Championship rally victory, taking the Safari Rally in brilliant style, simultaneoulsy giving the Carisma GT, launched a year ago, its first major victory. The 27-year-old British driver’s success – Mitsubishi’s fourth win on the gruelling Safari – has given Mitsubishi the lead in the 1998 World Rally Championship.

Competitors faced some 560 kilometres of hard driving to the south and west of Nairobi on the final day of the Safari, on roads that they had already tackled in the first leg. As a result, they were rougher than ever and Burns admitted that he had a few scares when he found deep ruts, as well as large rocks in the road that had been loosened by the passage of so many rally cars. Early cloud gave way to fierce sunshine and high temperatures, adding to the strain on worn machinery. The pace was too much for the Toyota of Carlos Sainz, which retired with broken rear suspension. Large crowds turned out to witness this uniquely demanding event, which is easily the longest and roughest round of the World Rally Championship, totalling more than 2,200 kilometres.

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