Mitsubishi Announces Lucrative 3-Year Rally Support Program

Mitsubishi has confirmed today a long-term and lucrative "rally support program" for the Canadian Rally Championship that encourages amateur participation in the sport.  Featuring a travel fund, prize purse, subsidized entry fees, and other incentives, the program is geared towards all levels of privateer Mitsubishi teams from Open Class through Production. The program also includes the same support for the Targa Newfoundland rally, held each September.

Launched under the aggressive banner “Mitsubishi. We’ve come to race.”, this multi-tiered program has been carefully structured to provide several levels of support for all eligible Mitsubishi competitors – plus additional merit based rewards, and recognition for achieving certain goals. The program is set to debut at the Rally of the Tall Pines, this coming weekend in Bancroft, Ontario.

The program includes seven key points which Mitsubishi hopes will be effective in developing the brand in Canada.

To help get competitors to and from events, all eligible crews will get some funding, the total amount depending on the distance that needs to be traveled. Any crew that starts a CRC National event or Targa Newfoundland will also receive an additional $600.00. The top three 2WD and AWD crews will also see prize money at each event.

There will also be a Mitsubishi Cup, with cash payouts to the top three 2WD and AWD teams that have the highest championship standings at the end of each season.

The new program from Mitsubishi isn't just about dollars to competitors. Mitsubishi will be offering local event support. Details are slim on this, but a parts truck program is likely the way that Mitsubishi will go for this plan. To help competitors promote their efforts, Mitsubishi will be providing web space on a soon to be launched  Mitsubishi Rally website. Here, teams can post blogs, videos and other content to promote their activities and dialogue with fans and other competitors.

Expect to see a sea of red at future rallies as Mitsubishi releases rally branded clothing first to teams and then to the general public through dealerships. Posters and other promotional materials will help ensure a strong presence at each round of the Canadian Rally Championship, and each event will be compensated for the space used! In fact, at the Rally of the Tall Pines, you can expect to see a row of red as Mitsubishi set up in the service park.

"This program is very well thought out and will be a huge assistance to competitors running Mitsubishis," commented an enthused Andrew Comrie-Picard, adding "As a competitor who has competed every year since 2002 in the Canadian Rally Championship, I am over the moon to see Mitsubishi officially involved. Not only is the whole history of the brand interwoven with rally, but as a driver and car builder I can tell you that the Mitsubishi Evolution is the best out of the box rally car that there is. That's why I run them."

 

"A multi-facetted program like the one announced by Mitsubishi in Canada will have a very positive impact on the sport in this country. It is not only excellent incentive for existing competitors, I'm sure it will attract new teams and raise the level of competition everywhere," said Jorge Dascollas, president of the Canadian Association of Rallysport.

In order to be eligible for the program, teams must compete in any generation of Lancer Evolution or any Mitsubishi branded car 1998 or newer. This a big bold step for Mitsubishi in Canada and is bound to enhance both the brand and rally sport in Canada.

For complete details, please see the official press release at the Mitsubishi web site, here.

Words by Dean Campbell, Photos by Andrew Harvey

Comments

[john taylor]

What's the best way to take advantage of this for an amature? 2-wheel drive or 4-wheel drive? What age car? Opinions anyone?

[Krass Kantchev]

Hmm. Compared to what teams need to pay to participate CRC, this program sounds like "some spare change" to me. If they want to get involved, why not hire work drivers?

[Pete Pollard]

Awesome!!! NICE WORK to everyone who helped make this happen, Mitsubishi is going to get some excellent promo for their buck. Is Mitsu USA next up???

[Shawn Bishop]

Yes .... Awesome news for all of Canadian rallying.

[Warren Currie]

THANK YOU Mitsubishi Canada!

hmmmm . . . Maybe a new car is in my future?
My old one is already red - time to make the leap.