Portugal's Miguel Campos, the first driver to be selected to represent the BFGoodrich Drivers Team this year, was given an opportunity to test the Kronos Racing-run Peugeot 207 Super 2000 near Faro, Portugal, on Monday.
The choice of Campos by a panel of 15 Portuguese journalists in Lisbon on April 15 was the first phase of the 2008 BFGoodrich Drivers Team operation which has been set up by tyre manufacturer BFGoodrich and Kronos Racing and which will involve five of the 2008 Intercontinental Rally Challenge's ten rounds.
Miguel Campos and his co-driver Paulo Babo will contest the Rally de Portugal in the colours of BFGoodrich and Kronos.
The pair will start at number 16 and will compete alongside the team's resident drivers Freddy Loix and Nicolas Vouilloz who will also be driving Peugeot 207 Super 2000s.
The first day of testing on Monday gave the Portuguese driver a chance to familiarise himself with the car, as well as with the different BFGoodrich tyres that will be available during the rally.
"I am very pleased with the way the day went. My last competitive outing dates back to two years ago, so I needed to find my marks again with a new car and a new co-driver," said Campos. "Being selected for this rally is a big opportunity for me.
"The car is perfect, nicely balanced and we did some good work setting it up. I tried several BFGoodrich tyres, ranging from soft to hard, and I spent a good deal of time chatting with the BFGoodrich technician with a view to understanding how to optimise my tyres all the way to the finish. Tyre choices, 're-cutting' and pressures are all important factors that you can't afford to overlook.
"I still need to drive the car a little bit more, but I feel confident; I feel part of the team and everything should go well."
Kronos team boss Marc van Dalen meanwhile was impressed with Campos' abilities and believes that he should be able to get a solid result this weekend.
