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Following recent poor weather, competitors lining up for the start of the 2008 "Rali Transiberico" in Portugal were greeted by sunshine and temperatures of 25°C. This afternoon saw Team Repsol Mitsubishi Ralliart's Stéphane Peterhansel/Jean-Paul Cottret (France) lead away the 57-strong field after an official ceremony in Mafra, 50km northwest of Lisbon.

Team Repsol Mitsubishi Ralliart is in Portugal this week for the Transibérico Ralli, the second round of the 2008 FIA Cross-Country Rally World Cup. Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC) and its motorsport unit MMSP have entered a line-up of two Pajero/Montero Evolution MPR13s for Stéphane Peterhansel/Jean-Paul Cottret (France) and Luc Alphand/Gilles Picard (France), while Joan 'Nani' Roma/Lucas Cruz (Spain) will drive a diesel-powered Mitsubishi Pajero/Montero Evolution MPR14.

The inaugural Central Europe Rally, the first fixture of the newly-created Dakar Series, saw Mitsubishi's Stéphane Peterhansel/Jean-Paul Cotteret (France) narrowly fail to reap the benefits of an excellent week's work which saw them top the leaderboard for the majority of the event. The French pair emerged in front after the second leg of the seven-day event but were passed by World Rally Champion Carlos Sainz on the penultimate day and were unsuccessful in their bid to bridge the gap on the final day. The two drivers were separated by just 2 minutes 01 second after more than 1,000km of competitive action through Hungary and Romania.

The penultimate day of the 2008 Central Europe Rally continued at the same fast and furious pace that has marked this new event since the beginning of the week. However, it turned out to be a little less successful leg for Team Repsol Mitsubishi Ralliart: Stéphane Peterhansel/Jean-Paul Cottret (France) have lost the lead they have held practically non-stop since Monday after dropping an estimated 40 seconds on this morning's test, although only 18 seconds separate the French pair from the new leader, Carlos Sainz, this evening. The fight is far from over !