PCWRC: Battling Barratt chasing NZ points.

Natalie Barratt may be familiar with the OMV World Rally Team, having driven for it in 2005, but there will be a number of unfamiliar elements to her return to action on this weekend's Propecia Rally New Zealand.

For the first time, the plucky Briton will steer a Mitsubishi Evo IX and, although she is familiar with the Lancer models of old, the combination of different car and new co-driver, in the shape of Australian Dale Moscatt, make the aim of scoring points a tough proposition.

Barratt has been competing on the Finnish national championship this season, but returns to the world stage in New Zealand to contest the final round of the PCWRC. She began her preparations with the OMV team on Monday, covering 80km over two stages - a distance that Barratt claims was invaluable.

"The tests were very important for us," she admitted, "We experimented with different suspension adjustments and co-ordinated the pace notes. Everyone has their own special way to write down notes but, since all but two special stages are new, we won't have the time for that during the recce."

Rally New Zealand in itself isn't new territory for Barratt, who has contested the event five times, or Moscatt, who has competed there twice before including a spell at the side of leading runner Cody Crocker, but it will be there first assault together.

"The new special stages are much more difficult and also very slippery at times," she reported, "The average speed will definitely be lower this weekend - especially if the predicted rainfalls set in."

The return to the world stage is success in itself for the diminutive Briton, who has suffered from both rheumatoid arthritis and a crisis of confidence after her former co-driver had been killed on an event, with another driver, in the USA. She conquered both with hypnotherapy, and is now raring to go again.

"Clinical hypnotherapy restored my confidence and cured me of arthritis - it's a fascinating practice which enabled me simply to get back in the car," she told Britain's Sunday Telegraph newspaper, "Then, at the end of last season, Kaj Lindstrom suggested I go to Finland to really 'get it back'.

"It's been liberating, and I've learnt more about my driving. My car control is very, very good but, maybe because Roger [Freeman] was killed, I took myself back two steps. Now I've probably gone forward three or four steps."