Kresta prepares for Monte Carlo in Hyundai Accent.

Roman Kresta tested his Hyundai Accent WRC Evo 3.5 last Saturday on the former military grounds near Bela, Czech Republic, prior to his upcoming appearance in the Accent WRC on this weekend's Rally Monte Carlo [January 22 - 25], round one of the 16-event FIA World Rally Championship.

The scheduled test took place on narrow tarmac roads covered with ice and old snow to enable Kresta try out his new car before his Monte showing. The Czech rally driver used the test to first adjust to the car and then to optimize the Accent's suspension set-up for the season's opener.

"I am fairly happy with the set-up we achieved before the shakedown," said Kresta who drove the Accent for some 120km from Saturday morning until later in the afternoon of the same day. "I first had to acclimatise to the car as it drives differently then the Peugeot 206 WRC machine I had been driving for the last season.

"I then went on to test the car's drivability and performance with an aim to try its limits for some 80 kilometres. There is much I must get used to, as the Accent has a totally different engine and gearbox characteristics."

"What a pity I could not test the car on dry or wet tarmac as well as on the factory tyres as that would give me a better opportunity to prepare for the event," added Kresta, "Given the conditions and circumstances, I am glad to have got a good suspension set-up which I hope to finalise on the works tyres during the Monte shakedown just before the rally's start."

Kresta refused to comment on his chances for the Alpine classic, though, he hopes to match his last year's result no matter how hard and tough the competition will be this year.

"I do not wish to guess what it is going to be like on the coming weekend," he continued, "This year's Monte Carlo will traditionally be an event filled with surprises, ups and downs, with tyre choice being a major deciding factor relative to anyone's success. The weather and road conditions will certainly be challenging to all crews. I have never done a rally in an Accent WRC, but I would like to see myself as high as in 2003 if I get into the right pace from the start onwards."

With Kresta's 2004 World Rally Championship campaign uncertain, this one event may well be a benchmark or rather a critical point to determine in which direction his 2004 season will unfold.

Further news on Kresta's 2004 programme will be announced no earlier than during the first couple of weeks in February.