Mitsubishi faces Swedish Rally with confidence.

Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart has a strong three-car team for the Swedish Rally, the second round of the 2002 FIA World Rally Championship, and believes that it can live up to its fine record on this event.

The trio of Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution WRCs will be driven by Frenchman Fran?ois Delecour, Britain's Alister McRae and Finnish newcomer Jani Paasonen.

Conditions have varied markedly in Sweden in recent days and after an icy recce with temperatures down to -10 degrees Celsius, the shakedown - 60 kilometres to the northeast of Karlstad - took place in much warmer, albeit still sub-zero conditions, with plenty of fresh snow. With the possibility of gravel coming through as more cars pass through the stages, tyre choice will be crucial.

The Swedish is the coldest, the most slippery and one of the most spectacular rallies in the World Championship, and a unique test for tyre companies thanks to its snow and ice.

All competitors will use studded tyres, but to be truly competitive, stud length and stud angle must also be chosen carefully. For Markko Martin, the rally is over before starting, the Estonian having crashed his Ford Focus during shakedown leaving the team insufficient time to facilitate repairs before yesterday night's start.

French crew Fran?ois Delecour and Daniel Grataloup were pleased with the performance of their Michelin-shod Lancer Evolution WRC after a pre-rally test, but Delecour sounded a cautious note.

"The car is not bad at all, but I cannot really tell how fast we are until the rally starts tomorrow. I feel better about it than in Monte Carlo, but this is a completely different rally," Delecour said.

British duo Alister McRae and David Senior carried out much of Mitsubishi's pre-rally testing, and McRae cannot wait to put the Lancer Evolution WRC to the test on one of the rallies he knows best.

"It feels quite good. We didn't test in exactly these conditions - it was a bit colder - but I'm more at ease than I was in Monte Carlo and I definitely want to get some points here. We'll be giving it our best try," McRae commented.

Jani Paasonen is one of the most promising of the new generation of Finns, and with fellow countryman Arto Kapanen, he could well make an impact on his first event in a Lancer Evolution WRC.

"I am happy. I did 250 kilometres of testing on Sunday and the feeling is good. It's not easy to compare testing with a rally, because you know the test road better, but anyway, I have only to finish. The car feels good and well-balanced, but it's most important to learn," Paasonen stated.

The 1876-kilometre rally began with a ceremonial start in the capital of Varmland province, Karlstad, yesterday evening, but the real action starts today [Friday], with five stages totalling 124 kilometres.