New Skoda Octavia WRC ready for asphalt debut.

Skoda's brand new evolution Octavia World Rally Car is all set for its asphalt debut on the Rallye Deutschland this week.

The car showed its potential on gravel in Finland two weeks ago, demonstrating it had the pace to finish in the top ten. Unfortunately, a fuel problem sidelined Kenneth Eriksson while Toni Gardemeister was hindered by road penalties - but both are hoping for better things in Germany.

The regular team of Eriksson and Gardemeister will be strengthened by the addition of reigning German champion Matthias Kahle in a third car. The 33-year-old German drives a Skoda Octavia WRC in his national championship and finished fifth on the Rallye Deutschland last year.

Kahle said: "This is the biggest opportunity of my career so far. To drive for a works team is a very big deal, and the new car is better than my usual car in every way. I have quite a lot of experience on the Rallye Deutschland but the roads change so much from year to year that you can never assume anything. There's quite a lot of pressure, but I will try to be relaxed about it. If I can be on the pace of my team mates, then I will be happy."

Germany is making its debut on the World Championship calendar this season, but Skoda is one of the few teams that made the trip out to sample the event last year. The experience has stood Skoda in good stead, and they have high hopes for a strong performance.

The Rallye Deutschland is an amalgamation of two old German Championship rallies which means that every leg has a very different character.

The rally starts in the vineyards which produce Germany's famous Mosel wine. The stages consist of long straights interspersed with several tight hairpin bends. From there the rally moves on to the Baumholder military ranges. This area was originally used for testing tanks, and there are several large, tank-sized kerbs ready to catch drivers out!

The weather at this time of year in Germany is always unpredictable, and the concrete surfaces of the roads in Baumholder could well become treacherously tricky.

"I think it will be a very difficult rally," said Toni Gardemeister. "There are some parts of Baumholder which are almost like a gravel rally, and if it rains I'm sure it will be very slippery. The vineyard roads are more like a normal asphalt rally, but there are places which will be very challenging. I'm very pleased that we have the extra power from the engine on the new evolution car - it will certainly be very useful on asphalt."

Kenneth Eriksson is also feeling encouraged by the prospect of a competitive run on the Rally Deutschland. The experienced Swede declared himself satisfied with the new evolution of Octavia WRC on his pre-event test, but he predicted the competition would be close.

"Germany is brand new for everyone, so we all start on a level playing field," commented Eriksson. "The stages require a strong car, and we know we have that. But there are so many unknown factors about the Rally Deutschland that it will be really tough to say what will happen."

Skoda Motorsport Team Principal Pavel Janeba concluded: "We are confident that the new car is an improvement and hopefully we should see the results of all our hard work in Germany. We are feeling optimistic, but in rallying you always have to wait and see."

The Rallye Deutschland is based in Trier, just across the border with Luxembourg. The rally gets underway on Thursday night (22 August) with a ceremonial start in Trier. It then comprises 23 stages, including two spectator superspecials, before the finish back in Trier on Sunday night (25 August).