Britain's Matthew Wilson is looking forward to getting back onto the loose stuff in Japan this weekend following the two back-to-back asphalt runs in Spain and Corsica.

Wilson saw his run of top ten finishes end in Catalunya and will now been keen to get back in there and repeat the kind of form he showed last year on the Hokkaido-based event.

The 20-year-old made his debut in the 2006 spec Focus last year and set a number of times inside the top ten. Small mechanical issues forced him to retire from the second day but after re-entering on the final leg, he continued to set some promising times.

Speaking prior to his latest outing though, he did concede that the weather this year could make things a tad more difficult.

"It will be good to get back on gravel after two tarmac rallies. We will start with last year's notes and see how they go because both Saturday and Sunday's stages are identical to last year which will help on the recce," he stated.

"This event is going to be totally different for us though because last year it was a bit warmer and dry whereas this year it's going to be quite cold, and I'm told there is a good chance of snow in the higher points which will make conditions very tricky.

"It's a good event however and an amazing place and I've been looking forward to getting back onto the loose surface."

M-Sport boss, Malcolm Wilson meanwhile is 'hopeful' that his son – and the other two Stobart drivers, Jari-Matti Latvala and Henning Solberg, will be able to do well.

"Hopefully the Stobart team will be able to continue to build on their solid results recently," he confirmed.

"Japan is an event that has proved to be difficult in recent years for guys competing here for the first time. In the past a lot of our drivers have struggled with pacenotes on their first time to Japan but hopefully it will not be too much of a disadvantage for Henning.

"All three crews are back on their preferred surface so a good result could certainly be possible for the team. This year, with the change of date, there is the added possibility of tricky, icy roads which can make conditions very difficult," he summed-up.