MML reveals new Group N Evo X

MML Sports Ltd, the company formed from the core team behind Mitsubishi's WRC campaign, has taken the wraps off its Group N version of the new Lancer Evo X.

The MML Sports Evo X has been built to full FIA specification, which will make it eligible for the Production car World Rally Championship, the Intercontinental Rally Challenge and numerous regional and national championships, such as the British Rally Championship.

With the Lancer Evo X being a new car, and few off-the-shelf parts available as a result, MML Sports set about developing what it needed to build the highest specification Group N car possible.

A range of parts were designed and built from scratch, including the rollcage and the fuel tank. Developed in conjunction with fuel specialists ATL, the bag tank is located underneath the vehicle floor for safety and to lower the centre of gravity as much as possible. The car also features WRC-spec damper technology and MOTEC control systems for both the centre differential and the engine. Development work on the engine carried out in conjunction with long-term engine partner HKS.

The MML Sport Group N Evo X will begin testing in March while its first competitive outing, run by MML Sports, will be in Latvia next month with a driver still to be decided.

"We are delighted with the way the MML Sports Group N Lancer Evo X rally car has turned out," MML Sports managing director John Easton said. "When we decided to develop our own version of the Evo X on spec, we knew that we had an edge with the experience we gained in the World Rally Championship and on both the Group A and World Rally Cars. We simply had to apply that to Group N and I feel we have done just that.

"Our goal from the outset was to develop a car that was competitive, reliable and as important nowadays, cost effective. The MML Sport Evo X is available in a range of specifications, so while it is eligible and I'm sure, competitive in the P-WRC, IRC and series like the BRC, it is also attainable for club-level competitors by using a more basic specification, such as the standard fuel tank instead of the bag tank, for example.

"We anticipate that the very highest specification of Evo X will be available for around ?120,000, which compares favourably with its competition and is considerably less than a comparable Super2000 car. In addition, the running costs for Group N are significantly lower than S2000, which I would estimate to be on par with a World Rally Car.

"We hope that with our experience and the work we and our partners in this project have put in, that MML Sports will be come synonymous with Mitsubishi Group N rally cars, in the same way that other organisations have with other marques."