Preview: Cyprus Rally.

The World Rally Championship treads new ground this weekend as it tackles the rocky roads of Cyprus for the first time.

The championship caravan should have been heading further east - to China - at about this time but, with the various problems that the Oriental event has suffered since it made its series debut last year, that trip was cancelled in favour of a short notice hop into the Mediterranean and the port of Limassol.

Although not the national capital, Limassol has been chosen to host the event because of its proximity to the best stages on the island, and promises to play host to an event as tough - if not tougher - than its near neighbour, the Acropolis. In Greece, the Fords came out on top but, with the championship at stake, do not expect either Colin McRae or Carlos Sainz to have as easy a run this time around.

While Cyprus may be a new addition to the WRC schedule and, therefore something of a stranger to many of those taking part, it will not be entirely unfamiliar to most, as the event has formed part of the backbone of the European Rally Championship for many years. With its proximity to the Acropolis on the calendar, too, the drivers and support crews have already had a glimpse of what they can expect in terms of conditions - and not many have expressed any great excitement for another scorcher in the cockpit!

The 57 entries expected to take to the start ramp will not even have the benefit of travelling that quickly to force cooler air into the cars, as the event promises to be one of the slowest on the calendar. Last year's European series round averaged just 60mph over its rocky stages and, with three days of purgatory ahead, most are hoping that reliability - both personal and mechanical - will be good.

Erstwhile championship leader Richard Burns is hoping more than most for a clear run to the finish, after two mechanical failures and an avoidable accident in Finland to his credit over the past three events. The Subaru driver still lies a close second behind new leader Marcus Gronholm, and is looking for a level playing field on which to restart his championship challenge this weekend.

''Cyprus presents a fresh event for everyone, and I'm going into it with a strong championship position and a confident frame of mind,'' Burns stressed, ''This is a new event for me and, although we've done a thorough pre-event test, I'm expecting to learn more about the event as we go along. There's no reason to think that I can't win here, so I'm just going to concentrate on doing the best that I can.''

If confidence could provide a couple of tenths per stage, then both Colin McRae and Marcus Gronholm would be looking good in Cyprus. The Peugeot-powered Finn is coming off the back of successive wins in New Zealand and his homeland, and is confident that the 206WRC is now the car to beat, despite his own lack of experience on this kind of event after an early retirement in Greece.

''From what I saw during my two days on the island, the stages seem very slow, with long portions where we're hardly going to be out of first and second gear,'' he pointed out, ''But the rally is totally new [to the WRC], so it is difficult to say what sort of result we can expect. It was great to win the last two events, and I obviously hope that my run of success can continue, but I would be happy just to finish in the top three this weekend.''

McRae, meanwhile, will be buoyed by his success in Greece, where he led home a Ford 1-2 ahead of team-mate Carlos Sainz. Although he ultimately had to rely on team orders to pass the Spaniard, McRae all but dominated the Acropolis, and is plainly looking to repeat in Cyprus.

''Right now, I know very little about the rally,'' he admitted before leaving for the holiday island, ''All I do know is that it's going to be very twisty, and it's going to be very hot. I believe the temperatures will be even higher than they were in Greece and, because the roads are so tight and the speeds relatively low, there will be little airflow to cool us or the engine.

''Because the roads are rough, reliability will play a big part, and I don't think that the fastest driver and car will necessarily win. The rally will be more about judging the correct pace, and knowing when to attack and when to be cautious. That's frustrating for a driver, because you have to drive to the limits of the car and tyres rather than yourself, but it's all part of the sport.''

Team-mate Sainz will be looking to overcome disappointment in both New Zealand and Finland, as well as putting one over on McRae as some measure of recompense for Greece. He is keen to make the most of the unfamiliar Cypriot stages and excited at facing a new event.

''It's always interesting to tackle a new rally and, because Cyprus hasn't been included in the championship before, it means that none of the top drivers has a clear advantage,'' he explained, ''It will be crucial for us to [have tested] on roads that are representative of the rally, so that we can make decisions on set-up and tyre compounds.

''The difficulty is that all drivers will have to write complete pace-notes for the whole rally [rather than relying on those written in previous years] and, with only two passages allowed each stage in practice, it means that you have one opportunity to write the notes and one to check them. You have to be accurate and, because we have no previous experience, there will be greater reliance on the notes during the event than usual.''

Both Burns and Gronholm will be backed up by relative 'old stagers' in Juha Kankkunen and Francois Delecour respectively and, despite neither having been to Cyprus in the past, both could be capable of springing a surprise. The event marks Kankkunen's 150th WRC start, and the Finn is keen to celebrate with at least a points finish, but he is well aware of the risks of such a rally.

''Although the stages are similar to those in Greece, if anything they are a bit rougher,'' he observed, ''There are some huge rocks on the stages, and we can carry only one spare wheel in the car, so the event will really be a test of tyre strength, and the ability of the drivers to preserve them.''

Delecour isn't too worried about what he will find on the island, and admits to looking forward to the inhospitable conditions the crews are likely to face.

''The stages resemble those of the Acropolis, in that they are very slow, rocky and dusty,'' he agreed with Kankkunen, ''It will probably also be extremely hot during the event, but I personally like it when conditions get like that.''

Such is the current malaise at Mitsubishi that reigning champion Tommi Makinen is not even being spoken of as a potential winner this weekend. It would be folly to write off the Finn, however, even if the ageing Lancer looks far from the most competitive proposition in Cyprus.

''I know a little bit of what to expect,'' admitted Makinen, ''because we did some testing there in July. It is incredibly twisty and I think that it will be a very difficult rally, and very hard for the cars. You don't know what can happen - but I still think that we will have a good chance to win.''

The Finn's hopes are boosted by the fact that two of his team's management have already achieved success in Cyprus, with director Andrew Cowan finishing third in 1980 and manager Phil Short co-driving David Llewellin to victory there seven years later. Because of this, and the fact that the rally will be new to most of the current crews, Short is confident that Freddy Loix will be able to make a bigger impression on the front-runners.

''We are optimistic, and I feel we should do well, as we have a strong and reliable car,'' he said, ''Tommi is world champion of course, and I think it will be easier for Freddy in that the rally is new to almost all the works drivers, so he shouldn't be at a disadvantage.''

Completing the biggest turn-out of works cars since the Acropolis Rally, SEAT and Skoda will be banking on a lack of reliability ahead of them on the road to climb into the points.

For SEAT, Cyprus marks the first step on the road out of world championship rallying, but also marks the first time in 21 years that it has journeyed to the island. Company president Vicente Aguilera remembers his days as a co-driver with tales of weight loss, incredible heat, tight stages and equally tight deadlines, and expects nothing less from this year's event.

The success of SEAT co-drivers on the island continues with Denis Giraudet's return to the scene of his 1996 triumph - alongside Skoda's Armin Schwarz - and the team hopes that his prior knowledge will help to lift new partner Didier Auriol out of a rut of bad luck this season.

''I have never been to Cyprus before - not even on holiday,'' Auriol said, pointing out one of the major disadvantages facing him this weekend, ''but I am looking forward to this new experience. I hear the rally is very similar to Greece, in that the stages are very rough and twisty, the weather is hot and it will be very hard for the car - especially the engine, suspension and tyres.

''The engineers have worked extra hard in these specific areas, so I hope everything will be okay. We shall have to see what the conditions are like when we get there, but I don't think that there will be a problem. I always go well on a slow, technical rally, and I like tight and twisty stages.''

The event also marks the first time that Auriol's young team-mate Toni Gardemeister takes to the start ramp with more event experience than the Frenchman. His rally in 1997 did not last long, however, and the Finn is determined to make a better impression this time.

''We retired early, so I didn't learn too much,'' he points out, ''and what I did learn is almost irrelevant because none of the stages from 1997 are on the route this year, so we have no advantage. I prefer faster rallies, so it's difficult to say how we will get on in Cyprus. As always, however, my aim is to finish in the points.''

Like Giraudet, Armin Schwarz returns to the island as a past winner, and is keen to sample the sort of feeling he got then again.

''I remember it well,'' he says, ''The fans lining the tracks were unbelievably enthusiastic, but the stages themselves were narrow, twisty and very rough. I also recall the thick dust - we started at three-minute intervals but, even then, the visibility was poor. I reckon this year's rally is going to be incredibly tough - probably worse than Greece because we are using some of the stages three times.''

Luis Climent pilots the second Octavia, which ahs been heavily revised for its return to action after missing the last two events, and the Spaniard is keen to make an impression as he fights to retain his seat for a second season.

Both drivers' tasks are made slightly easier in that the fleet Hyundai Accents of Kenneth Eriksson and Alister McRae will be missing this weekend, but there are still plenty of other threats that, as in Greece, will be more than capable of toppling the odd works entry.

Petter Solberg, recently snapped up by Subaru for next year, will again take charge of the third works Ford aiming to capitalise on his late Acropolis form that saw him take several stage wins. The Norwegian's fellow Subaru recruit Markko Martin is also present with his privateer Toyota Corolla, and is more than capable of challenging for a top six finish.

Toshihiro Arai and Abdullah Bakhashab return hoping to repeat their runs at the front in Greece, while Krzysztof Holowycz, Frederic Dor, Ioannis Papadimitriou and Subaru's tarmac substitute Simon Jean-Joseph all travel to Cyprus looking to further their burgeoning reputations.

Manfred Stohl and Gustavo Trelles lead the Group N charge as they recommence their championship battle, but face opposition from Claudio Menzi and Gabriel Pozzo for class honours.

Then there are the locals determined that the world stars are not going to walk away with all the silverware from their home event. Andreas Tsouloftas, Chris Thomas, Andreas Peratikos, Christos Eliades and Paraskevas Paraskeva lead the Cypriot challenge.

The first leg of the rally, which starts early on Friday morning, takes the crews north towards Troodos and nine stages. The following day takes much the same route, with six of the nine tests repeated, some more than once. Day three heads east of Limassol with six stages providing the final hurdle to the crews before they head back to the sanctuary of the south-coast port town.