KX53 AOB

KX53 AOB - alongside KX53 BFV - was the first 2004 specification Lancer WRC built, and later used as a test car.

KX53 AOB during the Lancer WRC04 rollout

KX53 AOB during the Lancer WRC04 rollout

From the above two pictures it is very interesting to compare the initial look of the car to how the actual car ended up (biggest differences: front bumper, rear bumper, headlights, front and rear wings, etc.).

Whereabouts
The car is owned by Tristan Bailey, who also owns KX53 BFV, since 2012. The car is halfway through its build up process, and soon will be ready to roar in original specification as a tarmac car.

In July 2017 (Tristan Bailey / MMR Rallysport facebook)

 

 

Update 2023:

In december 2023, it was revealed that AOB's restoration is nearing its completion at MMR Rallysport. Upon completion, she will join her sister BFV as the only remaining 2004 specification Lancer WRCs.

AOB in december 2023 (Galway Carbon)

 

Retro Rumour Mill - Abu Dhabi and Mitsubishi?

Well, this time a bit of an ancient, but interesting rumour regarding Mitsubishi and Abu Dhabi. Many of you know that Abu Dhabi entered the sport as a big sponsor in 2007 as part of the Ford WRT from Finland onwards. Also, MML prepared an update for the Lancer WRC05, which they claimed made the car 0.5s/km faster than before. Two things that has nothing in common at first sight - and since this is a rumour, take this with a grain of salt -, it might have had. Theory says that Abu Dhabi contacted MML and Mitsubishi about a full-time works return to the series. However, Mitsubishi didn't want it in the end (because of the new direction they had and have at the moment), and so Abu Dhabi went to Cumbria instead. It would have been very interesting to see this come together if it was really true (car/drivers-wise, etc.), but unfortunately it didn't. However, they got as far as decorating up a Lancer WRC with Abu Dhabi colours - it would have looked good if it became a reality. At least we got a better car out of this whole thing in the end, which pretty much kept it alive as long as it is.

Unfortunately, this never became a reality... The WRC07 in Abu Dhabi colours (internet)

KR05 ZKK

And we always have one of these cars, don't we? The one that pops up suddenly, no info about where it came from and in this case where it is. This car might have had the same story as Peugeot's last 307 WRCs, which were only just completed or half completed chassis'. So this car was likely caught in a bubble with being half ready, and given the numberplate, it fits nicely with ZKL and ZKJ - just it didn't compete till mid 2009! Although no official chassis number is known for this car, it is a guess that it is #18. But anyways, onto the story!
Hir first rally was the Amsterdam Rallysprint with Mark van Eldik - who later competed with KR53 YPP and other Lancers, this was his first taste of the car. He won the rally with it in a very strong field, beating 2006 Focus WRCs and others.

2009 Amsterdam Rallysprint (Arjen Groters / menmrally.nl)

After her maiden rally, she was at the RallyDay at Castle Combe, piloted by none other than former Mitsubishi works driver Alister McRae, who flew back to the UK from his home in Australia to drive for MML.

With Alister McRae, RallyDay 2009 (MML Sports)

 Her next event was in Latvia, the championship's closing round, the Rally Latvija - Kuldigas Rudens. Her driver was Ivars Vasaraudzis, but after some problems (a small crash, etc) they finished only 5th.

2009 Rally Latvija (ziemellatvija.diena.lv)

Sporting some cosmetic damage, 2009 Rally Latvija (liepajniekiem.lv)

Next up was the Lausitz Rally with Mark van Eldik, who originally debuted the car. Despite Mark not having much experience on gravel, they were able to secure a victory in very difficult conditions.

Lausitz Rally 2009 (Nico Meyer / ewrc.cz)

Her next event was the Condroz Rally with none other than François Duval. They had a couple of quality opponents in strong cars, but François did what he became famous for - crash out in a spectacular way.

Condroz Rally 2009: before the crash...

...and after (www.tout-le-rallye.be)

2011
After that heavy crash, she only returned in 2011 for the Cambrian Rally, with up-and-coming talent Tom Cave. They didn't disappoint despite Tom's young age, and finished 2nd!

Cambrian Rally 2011 (Simon Clarke - www.sc-photography.co.uk)

Two Czech events followed at the end of the year, the first being the Rally Show Uherský Brod, with her new driver, Martin Březík. They finished 3rd, and with teammate Tlust'ák winning with KX53 BKO, it was a great weekend for the team.

Rally Show Uherský Brod 2011 (Petr Sagner / ewrc.cz)

Her last recorded start is the Mikuláš Rally, with Jan Štěpánek. Despite Jan's first rally in a WRC that was not a Skoda, they did very well, and only a puncture could get them off a certain podium position, but they still managed to finish 4th.

Mikuláš Rally 2011 (Mirek Rihánek / e-motorsport.cz)

Whereabouts
After the Mikuláš Rally, the car (or the numberplate) never returned, and to this day this car is a mistery, given that possibly it has no chassis number, etc. It could have been crashed or the shell used for an other car, or it is sitting in a warehouse, waiting for her next deployment (like KX05 AUR returned after a hefty break).

Track record
Starts: 8
Wins: 2

• Amsterdam Rallysprint 2009
• Lausitz Rally 2009

Podiums: 4 

• Amsterdam Rallysprint 2009
• Lausitz Rally 2009
• Cambrian Rally 2011
• Rally Show Úherský Brod 2011

Retirements: 1

• Rallye du Condroz-Huy 2009 (crash)

KR05 ZKL

KR05 ZKL - alongside ZKJ - were the two last cars Mitsubishi introduced during their last season in the WRC (the third of the batch, ZKK might not have been finished then/was a spare chassis, that's why it debuted only in 2009!). So, her first event was the Deutschland Rally with Rovanperä. The circumstances were particulary tough for Harri, as this was his first all-tarmac event since Rallye Sanremo back in 2002! They brought home the car, but scored no manufacturer points.

2005 Deutschland Rally (Mitsubishi)

Her next event was the Tour de Corse, again with Rovanperä. In ZKJ's story I go into details about what was wrong - with this car, the problems included gearbox and electrical issues. So after all this, another 10th was all they could manage.

2005 Rallye de France - Tour de Corse (Mitsubishi)

Her final event as a full works car was the Catalunya Rally, still with Harri. This time they faced issues again - including gearshift problems, and discovered a problem with the rear suspension (on bumpy, downhill roads under braking it "lifted" as Harri said). Although they made some progress, she ended her full works career with another 10th place.

2005 Rally Catalunya (Mitsubishi)

2006
Since she was a relatively young car and only used on tarmac, she was one of the cars that were used at the start of 2006 with Ralliart UK (now MML Sports) entries. After sitting out Monte Carlo, she returned for Rally Sweden with Gigi Galli. Now, don't get me wrong, Gigi's a very talented driver, but very surprisingly snow was the surface he was the most consistent and fastest on - not bad from an Italian! And might I add, this was more than less down to the Lancer WRC, with he just simply clicked on snow. So, in that year's event, two Mitsubishi drivers battled it out for 3rd overall - Daniel Carlsson with KP54 GXY, and Galli with ZKL. This fight went down to the wire, but eventually Carlsson won - and this would have been the best result for Mitsubishi for a very long time... had they not left.

2006 Rally Sweden (Mitsubishi)

She was back in action on the Sardinia Rally, but this time with Jussi Välimäki. They had a troublefree three days, ending up in 5th, ahead of the likes of Stohl, Duval and Petter Solberg!

2006 Rally d'Italia Sardinia (Mitsubishi)

Her final WRC event was the Acropolis Rally, again with Välimäki. This time his inexperience with a WRCar was much more visible, as he admitted that he didn't know how much he can push on the rough parts - and in Greece, there are plenty of them! But they finished, and did so in 9th.

2006 Acropolis Rally (Mitsubishi)

After that, MML Sports debuted in Hungary for the first time - their second tenure was in 2008-2009, with Csaba Spitzmüller. However, that collaboration dates back to this one, as they formed an alliance -at first- for the OMV Veszprém Rally. But they outright won it - against a 307 WRC, two Focus WRCs, an Octavia and a Fabia WRC!

2006 OMV Veszprém Rally (Szántó Frigyes)

After that success, they decided to keep the car for the remaining two rounds of the season, of which the first was the Budapest Rallye, held around the capital on tarmac. This time they finished 2nd after punctures slowed them.

2006 Budapest Rallye (Szántó Frigyes)

The closing round of the championship was to be her last ever as well. They arrived with an outside chance of getting the championship, but all that vanished when they slid into a ditch on SS5. As they were trying to get out with speed, they didn't see a concrete bridge in front of them until it was too late, and hit it very hard. The car was totalled (the front was pushed back to the half point of the bonnet), and they were hurt as well, but after getting surgery and some care, theye were fine, and as you all know, returned and became champions in 2008. But this accident was much like Mark van Eldik's in 2010 with YPP. Neither car has appeared since, and given the fact that it has been over 8 years, I really doubt ZKL will ever return.

2006 Mecsek Rallye - before the accident (Szántó Frigyes)

...and after (Szántó Frigyes)

Whereabouts
After the accident, she was never seen again; and given that it was over 8 years ago and many more shells to use, it is more than likely she wasn't repaired.

Track record
Starts: 9
Wins: 1 (OMV Veszprém Rally 2006)
Podiums: 1
Retirements: 1 (Mecsek Rallye 2006 - accident)

KR05 ZKJ

KR05 ZKJ was one of the last three cars built under the works Mitsubishi umbrella (and one of those three didn't even compete until 2009!), and even she made her debut as a pure tarmac car with Galli at the 2005 Deutschland Rally in August of that year, alongside the other newbie, KR05 ZKL. This event went well, as they won a stage and finished a couple in the top5, landing them bihind the four French WRCs in 5th place!

2005 Deutschland Rally (Mitsubishi)

Her next rally was the Tour de Corse, but this time with Panizzi. And this was one event to forget, as the entire Mitsubishi team experienced technical problems - much like 2001 Sanremo, when the new cars just weren't working as they were supposed to. Gilles had to put up with a broken damper and failing brakes on the first day, and the second didn't bring any smiles either; difficult handling and finally an engine problem put them out of their misery.

2005 Rallye de France - Tour de Corse (Mitsubishi)

Her final rally as a works car was the 2005 Rally Catalunya, this time with Galli. They ended the first day in 5th position, and started day2 with two stage wins - only to go off into a ravine after the finish line, and retire.

2005 Rally Catalunya (Mitsubishi)

2009
She returned to action in 2010, on the Rally Sarma in Latvia with Ivars Vasaraudzis. This turned out to be a great comeback, as they won the rally, scoring her first ever win!

2010 Rally Sarma (Aigars Laurinovics / rallyemotions.net)

Her next event was the BTA Rally Talsi, where the cars were swapped in the team, so Raimonds Kisiels got to drive her. They finished 5th, making it a successful eventi for the team, as Vasaraudzis won driving KR53 YPO.

2010 Rally Talsi (Aigars Laurinovics / rallyemotions.net)

After Talsi, she made her way through the Atlantic to Barbados, where Sean Gill drove her on the Sol Rally. In a very tough field (2006 Focus WRCs, S12 Imprezas, and a couple of old WRCs) they finished 5th.

2010 Sol Rally Barbados (Graham Curry Photography)

For her next event, the Rallijs Madona, she was back again in Latvia, and again with Kisiels. They ended in 5th, repeating the team's result from Talsi.

2010 Rallijs Madona (Aigars Laurinovics / rallyemotions.net)

Next up was the Rally Estonia, with some heavy competition testing for Rally Finland, or simply having fun - like Markko Märtin. Her driver was Kisiels again, and this time they finished 8th.

Rally Estonia 2010 (MotorsportMedia)

The next rally -the Rally Kurzeme- turned out to be a highlight: piloted by Kisiels again, thy finished 2nd overall - ZKJ's first podium since Sarma at the start of the season!

2010 Rally Kurzeme (www.motors24.lv)

Her Latvian campaign for 2010 ended with the Rallijs Latvija, again partnered by Kisiels. After some small problems, they finished 6th.

2010 Rallijs Latvija (rekurzeme.diena.lv)

Her season ended with the Lausitz Rally in Germany, being a substitute for Mark van Eldik's long-time car, KR53 YPP. Their random pairing was a great one, as they won - despite Mark not having too much experience on gravel with any kind of car!

2010 Lausitz Rally (MenM Rally Team)

2011 
A new year, and another one that begins with the Rally Sarma. However, this year her driver was Raimonds Kisiels, but the goal was the same: a podium finish. Unfortunately, this plan was derailed first by a hydraulics problem, then some drivers crashed in front of them, some had to be overtaken... But they finished the rally on a high note, winning the last stage as they arrived to the finish in 9th place.

2011 Rally Sarma (asnsport.lv)

Her second event was the Rally Talsi, again with Kisiels. However, their string of bad luck continued as they had to retire with a knocked out suspension.

2011 Rally Talsi (Janis Asaris / ewrc.cz)

What later turned out to be their last event together, the Rally Jekabpils-Madona was the culmination of some sheer bad luck. After the first day, everything was fine, but they chose not to start the 2nd because Raimonds didn't fell well enough to continue.

2011 Rally Jekabpils-Madona (Janis Asaris / ewrc.cz)

After this, she returned with Vasaraudzis on th Rallijs Latgale. The fact that this was their second rally together was made even better that they won together for the second time!

2011 Rallijs Latgale test (sportacentrs.com)

Her last event was the Rally Estonia - again with Vasaraudzis, and they were hoping to continue their winning ways. But that wasn't to be, as they had a very heavy crash that put an end to both to the rally and (so far) to the car as well.

2011 Rally Estonia (Janis Asaris / ewrc.cz)

Whereabouts
As the picture shows, the damage was quite extensive, basically the car became croissant-shaped, and the rollcage was also damaged heavily. The car hasn't appeared anywhere since, but it might be possible that it was re-shelled, but info on that. If you, dear reader have any, please contact me! ;)
  
Track record
Starts: 17
Wins: 3

• Rallijs Latgale 2011
• Lausitz Rally 2010
• Rallijs Sarma 2010

Retirements: 5

• Rally Estonia 2011 - accident
• Rallijs Jekabpils-Madona 2011 - medical reasons
• Rally Talsi 2011 - suspension
• Rally Catalunya 2005 - accident
• Tour de Corse 2005 - mechanical

KX05 AUR

KX05 AUR is one of the last cars Mitsubishi built during their WRC tenure, competing on only 3 rallies in factory colors. She began her career as a gravel car, and except for a stint on Irish tarmac competition, she's still a gravel car, used in the French Gravel Championship.
So, her first rally was the Sardinia Rally, with Rovanperä. They were 4th after the first and 3rd after the second day, and looked to be getting the better of Grönholm in the fight for 3rd, but then hit a rock and broke the right front suspension, and they had to retire.

2005 Sardinia Rally (Mitsubishi)

 Her next event was the Acropolis Rally, again with Rovanperä. After a drama-free run, they finished 6th, although 3m44s off the winner.

2005 Acropolis Rally (Mitsubishi)

Her third and final full works appearance was Mitsubishi's home event, the Rally Japan. The rally was overshadowed by the recent tragic death of Michael Park, but it was still a very important showing for the team. Rovanperä drove her again, and this time, they finished 5th, and took some stage wins along the way.

2005 Rally Japan (Mitsubishi)

2006
After Mitsubishi's withdrawal from the WRC, she was at Monte Carlo for 2006's season opener, with ex-works driver Gigi Galli. So, what happened? Well, Mitsubishi UK, Ralliart Italy and Galli's sponsors put togerther the money and effort, and it was a good decision: he was very fast until a broken gearbox forced him to retire.

2006 Rallye Monte Carlo (Petr Lusk / ewrc.cz)

After this, her path took a very interesting turn: Daniel Carlsson appeared with her on the Rally Ireland, which was a WRC candidate event (and joined the WRC in 2007 for a short time). Now, this start is interesting as what the motive behind it might have been. Either Ralliart UK (later MML) hoped that Mitsubishi might turn their decision around after the strong start to the 2006 season, and went there as a preparation for 2007, or they wanted to rent/sell cars out to Ireland, as it was -and still is- a huge survival island for the WRCs, new and old. Either way, the entry to the Irish scene went decent, as Carlsson finished 3rd.

2006 Rally Ireland (Patrick Hegarty Photography)

After this, Andrew Nesbitt, a multiple time Irish Tarmac Champion drove her on the Donegal International Rally and the Cork International Rally - both legendary Irish events. He won in Donegal (in front of Mark Higgins and KN04 WMC), but retired in Cork. After this, she was put on the shelf and wasn't seen in competition until the April of 2014...

2006 Donegal Int. Rally (crspics.com)

2014
In the spring of 2014 came the news that Cyrille Féraud -with support from MML Sports- will run a Lancer WRC in the French Gravel Championship. It was said that he bought WMC and AUR, but so far, he has only used AUR (although it's hard to judge, as in France there are no numberplates on rallycars during events). The reality might be that he only bought AUR. Anyways, their first event together, the Terre des Causses, didn't go well, as he slid wide, and hit a tree, and as a result had to retire.

2014 Rallye Terre des Causses

They entered the Terre de Langres next, and this event went much better: although still relatively new to the car, Cyrille finished 5th behind a C4, a Xsara, a Fiesta and a 207 S2000. Not bad at all!

2014 Rallye Terre de Langres (www.david-gianios.com)

Next up was the Terre de l'Auxerrois, their third rally together, and the improvement was visible, as they finished 4th, but more importantly, only much better cars finished ahead of them (a Fiesta WRC and 2x C4).

2014 Terre de l'Auxerrois (Gérard Simenel / rallye-sport.fr)

For the next event, she was back on tarmac for the first time in 8 years. Cyrille has never driven a Lancer WRC on tarmac, so this was a learning event. They finished 4th after little hiccups, missing out on the podium by just 4.3 seconds.

2014 Pays de Fayence (nanseven)

Their penultimate rally of the season was the Terre des Cardabelles. They finished 5th after a couple of problems (e.g. puncture), but were competitive, even setting top3 stage times.

2014 Terre des Cardabelles (midilibre.fr)

The last event of the French Gravel Championship was the Rally du Vaucluse. The conditions were trecherous, as days of rain made the stages really muddy with a lot of standing water. Cyrille did really well, but two punctures and a stall meant he had to settle for 4th. Still not bad!

2014 Terre de Vaucluse (Jean-Marie Caranta / rallye-sport.fr)

2015
The car returned to action with Cyrille on the Rallye National du Pays de Fayence. They had a good event and eventually won in a close fight with Anthony Puppo's Fabia S2000.

2015 Rallye National du Pays de Fayence (Jean-Marie Caranta / rallye-sport.fr)

2016
She returned with Cyrille on the Rally Terre des Causses. Unfortunately, they were excluded because the homologation of the seats have expired.

Rallye Terre des Causses 2016 (Bastien Roux / rallye-sport.fr)

Their unlucky start to the season didn't end on the Rallye Terre du Diois. They had a huge competition from WRCs and R5s alike. They were 11th after five stages and on the move up, but they crashed out on the next stage.

Rallye Terre du Diois 2016 (Bastien Roux / rallye-sport.fr)

Whereabouts
As of 2014, Cyrille Féraud uses the car, mainly in the French Gravel Championship. It is unclear if he bought the car or he's leasing it, either way, currently he plans no change for 2015.

Track record
Starts: 15
Wins: 2

• 2006 Donegal International Rally
• 2015 Rallye National du Pays de Fayence

Podiums: 2

• 2006 Donegal International Rally
• 2006 Rally Ireland
• 2015 Rallye National du Pays de Fayence

Retirements: 6

• 2016 Rallye Terre du Diois (accident)
• 2016 Rallye Terre des Causses (excluded)
• 2014 Rallye Terre des Causses (accident)
• 2006 Cork International Rally
• 2006 Rallye Monte-Carlo (gearbox)
• 2005 Rally Italia Sardinia (suspension)