17 of those entrants will be in WRC cars and in addition to the 'usual names' entered by the manufacturer 1 and manufacturer 2 squads,
Toni Gardemeister will compete in an Astra-run
Citroen Xsara WRC, in what looks set to be his final outing of the season.
Xavier Pons will also be in action in a Xsara, having had to miss the event in Japan at the start of this month following his crash in Finland. Pons is eager to get to the finish and re-build his confidence: "[Since my last event in the WRC] I have spent some time on holiday with my friends. I also focused on the physical preparation with my trainer," said the Spaniard.
"Unfortunately, considering the frequency of the events this month it hasn’t been possible for the team to organise some tests with the Xsara WRC. So I think I will take maximum profit of the shakedown. My target is of course to finish the rally but on top of everything to get back in the right feeling and speed I had at the start of the season. I have a complete confidence in the Citroen’s reliability and I know I can count on the usual faultless job of the Kronos team. My co-driver Carlos [del Barrio] and I are as motivated as ever to achieve a good result."
Kronos won’t be the only team running three cars, as the
Stobart VK squad has also opted to enter a third car – namely for Juan Pablo Raies. Raies, who will be competing in Cyprus for the very first time, has only one aim, to ensure he takes in all 1200 kilometres of the event and gets his car to the finish ramp in Lemesos: "It is going to be my first time at Rally Cyprus and all I can say is what I have been told by other Argentine drivers who have done the event. They all say it is a very rough rally, twisty roads and very hot. The aim that I have is to finish the event so that way I can start to achieve some experience for next season where I will drive this same car in the South American Rally Championship," he explained.
