Mitsubishi keen to see Indonesian rally drivers

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesian rally drivers who are in dire need of better cars with which to challenge foreign adversaries will soon have their wish fulfilled.

Spurred by the success of Swedish world beaters Kenneth Eriksson and navigator Staffan Parmander in steering Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution to victory in the '94 Bentoel Indonesia Rally in Medan last week, the Mitsubishi motor factory is keen to see local drivers behind the wheel of three cars of the same type in a series of national championships as well as in international races next year.

"We will determine who deserves the racing suits for our winning team as soon as possible," Maswir, marketing director of Krama Yudha (KTB) motor company, said during a victory celebration on Wednesday.

KTB is the Japan-based Mitsubishi motor company's representative in Indonesia.

Eriksson's fellow Mitsubishi Ralliart teammate, Kenjiro Shinozuka, was also in attendance at Wednesday's gathering. Shinozuka won the annual race in 1990.

The local rallyists will steer standard 4WD cars, the lower class series of those driven by the victorious Mitsubishi Ralliart team's racers.

The recent rally, which served as the opener of the six-leg Asia Pacific championship series, saw 11 Mitsubishi drivers complete 400-kilometer-long tracks along rubber and palm oil plantations in North Sumatra. Only 25 out of 48 racers flagged off on Friday reached the finish line on Sunday.

Both Eriksson and Shinozuka are hopeful of maintaining their winning ways at the second stop of the Asia Pacific rally championships in New Zealand next month. (rsl/amd)