Guest focuses on the road ahead.

Michael Guest has a driving ambition - to be the first Australian to make an impression on the FIA World Rally Championship series.

Guest and co-driver David Green are one of several 'home' teams entered for the Perth-based Telstra Rally Australia next weekend, but the only ones competing on the FIA World Rally championship circuit. Despite a series of ups and downs this year, the duo is still proving to be the Aussies to watch, following a flying start that netted an F2 class win for Hyundai in Portugal, and a string of other promising performances on the way to Perth.

The former Group N Australian Rally champion driver, who hails from Newcastle, NSW, has impressed many people with his commitment and driving skills over the past decade. This year, he clinched a spot with the Hyundai World Rally Team under its Driver Development Program and, although not scoring points for Hyundai, by dint of competing for the Winfield World Rally Team, Guest now drives their Accent World Rally Car.

He has already competed several times on the Telstra Rally Australia but, this one he says, is different.

"This year is the first time ever I've been able to compete in a factory car," Guest explains, "I just want to do the best that I can with machinery I've got. The Hyundai is still being developed - it's a brand new rally car this year, I'm looking forward to having a good test and getting my confidence up and going on from there."

Further down the road, he's hoping for one of the rare full-time factory driving spot. And it may not be far off.

"For sure, that's what I've been working at for a long time now and certainly it's very, very close, it would be just pending on sponsorship for next year," he says, "And we're working very hard to secure that. But this year's been a learning year in the WRC and next year is the crucial year for me."