Makinen ready for hat trick at Medan fally

JAKARTA (JP): A hat trick of wins is very much on the cards for Finland's Tommi Makinen in the Bank Utama world rally championship, scheduled from May 10 to May 12 in Medan, North Sumatra.

Makinen and his Mitsubishi have proved themselves unbeatable after winning both the Swedish and Safari rallies -- the championship's first two legs this year.

Thus, the man who has conquered the world's two natural extremes -- the snow-floored Swedish roads and the scorching wasteland of Kenya --, should find North Sumatra's labyrinthian plantations and tropical heat child's play.

And if he performs as expected, he will clinch his first victory on Asian soil.

Makinen, third in last year's championship, will have compatriot Seppo Harjanne as his co-driver. Harjanne, according to the rally's organizer, visited Medan last month to reconnoiter the 1,300-kilometer route which has 27 special stages of a total length of 460kms.

Dark horses, however, always lurk. Four-time world champion Juha Kankkunen of Finland has decided to bring his Toyota to Medan after skipping last month's Safari rally in Kenya. Former world champion Carlos Sainz and his navigator Luis Moya also come to Medan on behalf of Ford. Subaru will field Scottish veteran and current world champion Colin McRae, who will have 1995 Asia- Pacific rally champion Kenneth Eriksson of Sweden as his partner.

President Soeharto's son Hutomo Mandala Putra, Indonesia's top rally driver, will lead a pack of home contenders. Hutomo will be in his Subaru Imprezza with his new navigator, New Zealand's Tonny Sircombe. Other Asian competitors include top Japanese driver Toshiaki Endo in a Mitsubishi Lancer, 1995 Malaysian champion Karamjit Singh and seasoned Hong Kong competitor Michael Liew.

For Indonesia, this will be the second time it stages a world- level motorsport event. The first was the Indonesia Grand Prix Motorcycling Championships, held in Sentul earlier this month. (arf)