The weather has a huge impact, with rain and cold conditions not an uncommon occurrence in Hokkaido, which is at the same latitude as Siberia in Russia.

The Rally Japan is due to get underway with a ceremonial start in Sapporo on Thursday evening before the teams go on to tackle 29 gravel stages totalling 343.69 competitive kilometres. The finish takes place back in Sapporo on Sunday afternoon.

Pirelli's soft compound Scorpion gravel tyre is the only available choice for WRC crews.


FIA World Rally Championship news:

Sebastien Loeb extended his lead in the race for the 2008 drivers' title to 14 points following his victory on the last event, the Rallye de France-Tour de Corse.

Now classified with 106 points to the 92 notched up by Mikko Hirvonen, the Frenchman could take the title in Japan, assuming he leaves with a 10-point cushion.

In the Manufacturers' Championship, the Citroen Total WRT remains in control, although the BP Ford Abu Dhabi WRT did cut the gap back from 27 points to 23 following round 13.

Since the last event there have been a number of developments, most significantly news that MotoGP star Valentino Rossi will do December's season ending Rally GB in a Ford Focus RS WRC car.

Sebastien Ogier has also been handed an opportunity to drive a World Rally Car in Wales and as a reward for winning the J-WRC title in a Citroen C2 S1600, will use a C4 WRC.


News from the Manufacturers' teams:

Citroen Total WRT:

[Sebastien Loeb, car #1 and Daniel Sordo, car #2]

Sebastien Loeb:

"The Rally Japan has always been a particularly complex event. The first time we did the recce, we wondered whether in fact it was possible to stay on the road for three days! The stages of the Obihirobased rally were fast, narrow and difficult to commit to memory, and there was always a chance you could be caught out by one of the innumerable changes in grip. Moving to another region probably won't make matters any easier. Contesting a new event with the title at stake only adds to the stress, although it's not the first time we have faced this situation. We are also aware of how competitive our C4 is, and we will still have the Wales Rally GB to come afterwards. That takes away some of the pressure, but our objective will be to try to sew up the championship in Japan."

"If our rivals win, we will need to come away with at least six points. That means finishing in third place and we will start with that in mind and see how things unfold. We will always have the possibility of adjusting our pace to ensure we stay concentrated and don't make any mistakes. I would like to wrap up the title in Japan so that we can focus our attention on winning when we go to Wales."


Dani Sordo:

"We have put our off in Corsica behind us. I made a mistake and there's no point in dwelling on it. I prefer to look ahead. I only contested the Obihiro-based Rally Japan twice and I'm not against the switch to Sapporo, although I'm not expecting our task to be any easier this time round. Once again, tyres promise to play a big role. If the conditions are damp, our Pirelli Softs should go well. If the going is dry, however, we will need to take care with them. It will also be important to take good notes. The switch to a new region will level the playing field and I am encouraged by our recent runs on the loose compared with the drivers who are known to be quick on gravel. It's now up to me to try to catch them. It won't be simple, but we will try to find a fast but safe pace. If we succeed, we should be able to secure a good result to score the points' Citroën needs in the Manufacturers' championship."


BP Ford Abu Dhabi WRT:

[Mikko Hirvonen, car #3 and Jari-Matti Latvala, car #4]

Mikko Hirvonen: