Citroen in the 'dragon's' lair.

Round 12 of the 16-round FIA World Rally Championship takes the Citroen Xsara WRCs of Sebastien Loeb/Daniel Elena and Carlos Sainz/Marc Marti to the home of Y Ddraig Goch, the celebrated red dragon that has proudly appeared on the flag of the Principality since the year 678.

For the fifth consecutive season, Britain's WRC round - which featured as many as 85 stages in 1968 - is today held entirely within a compact rectangle bordered by the Brecon Beacons National Park to the north and, to the south, by the Bristol Channel over which fickle rain clouds often blow in.

This year's 'RAC Rally', as the tens of thousands of spectators still tend to call it, marks a break with the past by trading the cold, foggy, muddy conditions of November - its date in the calendar since 1959 - for a new, late summer slot. As a result, it is no longer the season's final, last chance showdown it has so frequently been (with the exception of just six years) since the championship's creation in 1973.

This change brings with it a number of changes and almost makes the Welsh-based event a new fixture to be discovered, much like the Rallies of Japan and Sardinia that flank it in the calendar. Since its first visit to Cardiff in 2002, the Citroen team has collected valuable experience of the event, although this will need to be reviewed as a function of its new date.

"There is clearly a higher chance that the going will be drier at this time of the year," says Citroen Sport's technical manager Jean-Claude Vaucard. "That in turn implies higher average speeds which will make the rougher parts more demanding still. It's a factor we have taken into account in our preparation."

But while the rally's revised slot makes warmer temperatures more likely, it by no means rules out wet weather, something that would complicate the picture somewhat, especially if the rain takes the form of showers. Given the current tyre regulations, this will make it a highly complex event to call, beginning today when drivers will have to communicate their tyre list to the FIA.

"To cover all the conditions possible," continues Vaucard, "it will be necessary to nominate the full spectrum of tyre options in sufficient quantities, from the softest to the hardest rubber, plus two intermediate compounds. That, however, would mean exceeding the quota. It will therefore be necessary to take a chance in the hope that you have made the right choice. If the weather proves changeable, we will need to adapt as quickly and as effectively as possible to the rapid changes in grip."

Although it promises to put nerves to the test, this enigmatic aspect of this year's RAC Rally is also extremely motivating for team boss Guy Frequelin and his 'troops'. The problems posed by this new-look version of the event are countered by the fact that all the teams will be on an equal footing, and trying to outwit the opposition can be stimulating.