McRae's car hits enbankment as heavy rain mars test drive

MEDAN, North Sumatra (JP): Despite heavy rain here the Mitsubishi, Subaru, Toyota, Ford and Seat Sport teams set out to test the route of the Gudang Garam World Rally Championship due to start tomorrow.

Colin McRae/Nicky Grist, who drive under the 555 Subaru World Rally Team banner, had engine trouble after their car hit an embankment during the official test drive in the plantations of Batulokong, Deli Serdang.

The incessant rain turned Special Stage 2, which is 12.4 kms long, muddy and slippery.

All the teams tried out the track.

The slippery road forced drivers to be extra careful.

McRae and Grist tried their car after the other drivers but only 900 meters before the finish line, their car hit the embankment.

They were able to make it to the service area to be fixed by their mechanics.

It was the second accident for the 1995 world champions of England.

Their car hit a public transportation vehicle in Parapat during a survey last week.

The Mitsubishi team will field Tommi Makinen/Seppo Harjanne and Richard Burns/Robert Reid. Subaru will also field Kenneth Erikkson/Staffan Parmander.

The Toyota Castrol Team will field Didier Auriol/Denis Giraudet and Neal Bates/Coral Taylor. Ford Motor Co. Ltd. will field Carlos Sainz/Luis Moya and Juha Kankkunen/Juha Repo. The Seat Sport team, in a Seat Ibiza, will field Harri Rovanpera/Voitto Silander and Erwin Weber/Manfred Hiemer.

A marshal said that Auriol had produced the best time in test drive.

"I don't think the slippery roads will be a problem. We have to travel all the sections anyway," he said.

Organizing chairman Indrajit Sardjono said that the rain would not make conditions too tough for the drivers despite the slippery tracks.

Medan's meteorology and geophysics office predicts the weather in the area, from Sept. 10 to Sept. 22, will be cloudy. There will be rain and thunder most evenings in most areas.

All Medan's hotels are fully booked during the championship.

Henny Octaviani, public relations officer of Hotel Tiara, told The Jakarta Post that the hotel's 178 rooms have been booked since May.

The Subaru and Indonesia Goro teams are staying at the hotel.

President Soeharto's son Hutomo Mandala Putra is a member of the Goro team.

The 151-room Garuda Plaza Hotel is booked until Sept. 21. Journalists and the Malaysian team are staying at the hotel.

About 7,000 local people as being employed in security during the rally. (21/yan)