The World Rally Championship heads into uncharted territory this week with the trip to Poland.
Rally Poland is the first of two all-new fixtures in 2009 and the last of a compact mid-season flurry of three events in just six weeks.
It is the second oldest event in the world behind the classic Rallye Monte-Carlo, and returns to the series for the first time since 1973 when it formed part of the inaugural FIA World Rally Championship for Manufacturers. On that occasion only three of the 62 starters finished the two-day rally that covered 55 speed tests and 750 competitive kilometres - more than twice the length of this week's encounter.
Based around the popular tourist town of Mikolajki in the north-east of the country the drivers will take on 352 kilometres over 18 stages around the Mazurian Lake District and forests of the region. Average speeds are expected to be higher than anything seen so far this season with hard, wide roads featuring prominently.
The 55 crews entered are sure to receive a warm welcome from the tens of thousands of local fans who are expected to flood Mikolajki for the 66th edition of the event.
Special notes:
Until 2005 Rally Poland was an asphalt rally but since then it has been an all-gravel event over fast and flowing roads in the hilly Mazurian Lake District in the north-east of Poland. Its location means large crowds are expected as fans can gain easy access from across central Europe.
The special stages are a mix of forest and open countryside and to keep speeds in check organisers will position hay bales at obvious cuts in corners, affecting the natural flow of the tests and rewarding neat and precise driving.
The tracks weave through picturesque green countryside that many have likened to Finland, and while the surface is generally sandy with plenty of loose gravel on top, many roads are harder after extensive improvement programmes.
FIA World Rally Championship news:
With only one week between the Acropolis Rally and Rally Poland there has been little news, although there is some speculation Petter Solberg may switch to using a Peugeot 307 WRC for Finland. 'Hollywood' was due to test the car before the eighth round in this year's championship.
News from the Manufacturers' teams:
Citroen Total WRT:
[Sebastien Loeb, car #1 and Daniel Sordo, car #2]
Sebastien Loeb:
"What happened in Greece [when I crashed out on day 2] obviously puts additional pressure on our shoulders. Our season got off to a flying start, but the last two rallies haven't gone quite so well. It would be a pity to throw everything away. I haven't seen much of the country for the moment, but I plan to make up for that on the weekend before the start, since Citroen has organised a road show in the streets of Warsaw on the Sunday afternoon. I hope the atmosphere will be as electric as it was in Buenos Aires a few weeks back! During testing, I got a chance to drive the C4 WRC in both dry and wet conditions. The stages are quite fast and not too rough, so they should be interesting. I think we should enjoy ourselves."
Dani Sordo:
