World Rally Team Profile

Mitsubishi Ralliart.

Four consecutive Drivers’ Championships, all won by the same man — and only one Manufacturers’ title to go with them.

Tommi Mäkinen and the Lancer Evolution took the World Rally Championship four years running from 1996. This is the record of the team that built the car.

Division
Ralliart, founded April 1984
Parent
Mitsubishi Motors
Car
Lancer Evolution
Works entry
Withdrawn after 2005
Titles
4 Drivers' · 1 Manufacturers'
Read the full history
4
Drivers' Titles
Tommi Mäkinen, 1996—1999
1
Manufacturers' Title
1998
1984
Ralliart Founded
Mitsubishi's motorsport division
2005
Final WRC Season
Works entry withdrawn
Drivers' title years
1996 1997 1998 1999
Overview

What Was Mitsubishi Ralliart?

Ralliart was Mitsubishi Motors’ motorsport and high-performance division, founded in April 1984, and the name under which Mitsubishi contested the World Rally Championship.

Its record is unusual. Tommi Mäkinen won the Drivers’ Championship four years in a row — 1996, 1997, 1998 and 1999 — but Mitsubishi took the Manufacturers’ Championship only once, in 1998. Rally-by-rally consistency across two cars is what wins a manufacturers’ title, and Mitsubishi’s strength was concentrated in one exceptional driver.

The cars were the Galant VR-4 from 1989, then the Lancer Evolution series through the 1990s and the Lancer WRC from 2001. Mitsubishi ended its works World Rally Championship programme after the 2005 season.

Era 01 · 1989—1995

The Galant, and Learning

Mitsubishi entered the World Rally Championship in earnest with the Galant VR-4 from 1989, then moved to the first Lancer Evolutions from 1993. The results came steadily rather than immediately.

Tommi Mäkinen joined for 1995, the season before everything changed.

Mitsubishi Ralliart Galant VR-4 rally car competing on a gravel stage during the early World Rally Championship era. Galant VR-4 · the years before the titles
Era 02 · 1996—1999

Four in a Row

Mäkinen won the Drivers' Championship in 1996 and did not stop until 1999 — four consecutive titles in the Lancer Evolution. In 1998 Mitsubishi took the Manufacturers' Championship as well, the only time it managed both in one year.

No other manufacturer has had a run quite like it built so completely around a single driver.

Mitsubishi Ralliart Lancer Evolution rally car airborne on a high-speed gravel stage driven by Tommi Mäkinen. Lancer Evolution · the only double
Era 03 · 2000—2005

The Lancer WRC and the Exit

Mäkinen left for Subaru in 2002 and the titles went with him. Mitsubishi replaced the Evolution with the purpose-built Lancer WRC from 2001, but the results did not return.

The works World Rally Championship programme ended after the 2005 season.

Mitsubishi Ralliart Lancer WRC competing on a tarmac stage during the brand's final works World Rally Championship season. Lancer WRC · the last works season
Team Timeline

Mitsubishi in the WRC

1984

Ralliart Founded

Mitsubishi establishes its motorsport and high-performance division in April.

1989

The Galant VR-4

Mitsubishi's works World Rally Championship effort begins in earnest.

1993

Lancer Evolution

The Evolution series replaces the Galant and becomes the car Mitsubishi is remembered for.

1996

Mäkinen's First Title

Tommi Mäkinen wins the Drivers' Championship.

1997

Second Title

Mäkinen retains the championship.

1998

The Double

Mäkinen wins a third title and Mitsubishi takes its only Manufacturers' Championship.

1999

Fourth in a Row

Mäkinen's fourth consecutive Drivers' Championship.

2001

Lancer WRC

A purpose-built World Rally Car replaces the production-based Evolution.

2005

Works Programme Ends

Mitsubishi withdraws its works entry from the championship.

By the Numbers

Drivers' Championship Record

The four seasons in which a Mitsubishi driver won the World Rally Championship, and whether Mitsubishi took the Manufacturers' title the same year.
Season,Car,Drivers' Champion,Both Titles Car Drivers' champion Double
1996 Lancer Evolution Tommi Mäkinen Drivers' only
1997 Lancer Evolution Tommi Mäkinen Drivers' only
1998 Lancer Evolution Tommi Mäkinen Double
1999 Lancer Evolution Tommi Mäkinen Drivers' only

This table lists drivers' title seasons rather than manufacturers' ones, because Mitsubishi won four of the former and only one of the latter — in 1998, the single season it took both. The manufacturers' championships in 1996 and 1997 went to Subaru and in 1999 to Toyota. Generation numbers for the Lancer Evolution are omitted: the source table lists a generation for 1996 that does not match that season. Figures verified 14 August 2026.

Sources

  1. Ralliart · Wikipedia — division history and championship record
  2. World Rally Championship · Wikipedia — champions table, per-season drivers' and manufacturers' titles
  3. Photo — Mitsubishi Galant VR-4 rally car · Jones028 from Hong Kong via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0 · cropped and resized
  4. Photo — Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution rally car, Goodwood 2007 · Hugh Lunnon from Brighton, UK via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0 · cropped and resized
  5. Photo — Mitsubishi Galant VR-4 rally car · TTTNIS via Wikimedia Commons · CC0 · cropped and resized
  6. Photo — Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution rally car in Ralliart livery · Calreyn88 via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 · cropped and resized
  7. Photo — Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution in Marlboro livery · TTTNIS via Wikimedia Commons · CC0 · cropped and resized
  8. Photo — Mitsubishi at the 2005 Cyprus Rally · Leonid Mamchenkov ( https://www.flickr.com/people/mamchenkov/ ) via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0 · cropped and resized
Machinery

The Cars That Made Ralliart

1988—93 Mitsubishi Galant VR-4 rally car in white Ralliart livery with roof-mounted lamps

Mitsubishi Galant VR-4

The car Mitsubishi's works effort was built on. Kenjiro Shinozuka won the 1992 Rallye Cote d'Ivoire in one, and the Galant's four-wheel-drive turbo layout set the pattern every Lancer would follow.

1993—2001 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution rally car in white and red Ralliart livery

Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution

The production-based car that won four consecutive Drivers' Championships with Tommi Makinen between 1996 and 1999, and Mitsubishi's only Manufacturers' title in 1998.

2001 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution rally car in red and white Marlboro livery, number 7

Lancer Evolution in Marlboro colours

Makinen's last great drive for the team: this car won the 2001 Monte Carlo Rally, the season after his fourth title and the year before he left for Subaru.

2001—05 Mitsubishi rally car in red and white Ralliart livery on a gravel stage at the 2005 Cyprus Rally

Mitsubishi Lancer WRC

A purpose-built World Rally Car replaced the production-based Evolution. It never won a championship, and Mitsubishi withdrew its works entry after the 2005 season.

The Driver Who Won Them
TM
Tommi Mäkinen
4 titles · 1996—1999
RB
Richard Burns
1999—2000
FL
Freddy Loix
1999—2001
Frequently Asked

Frequently Asked Questions

How many championships did Mitsubishi win in the WRC?
Four Drivers' Championships, all won by Tommi Mäkinen between 1996 and 1999, and one Manufacturers' Championship, in 1998.
Why only one manufacturers' title?
A manufacturers' championship rewards consistent points across a team's cars. Mitsubishi's strength was concentrated in one exceptional driver, so the drivers' titles came far more readily than the manufacturers' one.
What car did Mitsubishi rally?
The Galant VR-4 from 1989, then the Lancer Evolution series through the 1990s, and the purpose-built Lancer WRC from 2001.
What is Ralliart?
Mitsubishi Motors' motorsport and high-performance division, founded in April 1984, which ran the company's rally programme.
When did Mitsubishi leave the World Rally Championship?
The works programme ended after the 2005 season.
Who was Tommi Mäkinen?
A Finnish driver who won four consecutive World Rally Championships with Mitsubishi from 1996 to 1999, one of the most dominant runs by any rally driver.
Did Mitsubishi and Subaru compete directly?
Yes. In 1996 and 1997 Mäkinen won the drivers' title for Mitsubishi while Subaru took the manufacturers' championship — the two were the defining rivalry of that period.
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