Preview: Jordan Rally.

For the first time in the history of the World Rally Championship, crews will travel to the Middle East this week for the fifth event of the season.

The debutant Jordan Rally is set to be a gruelling challenge of hard-base sandy roads that sprawl through the region's desert plains from the rally base alongside the Dead Sea.

Located just below the northern Jordan city of Amman, Rally HQ and the service park promise a spectacular welcome for the crews. Based on the banks of the Dead Sea, it is the lowest point on earth at 408 metres below sea level. Most of the rally is run below sea level, making for a stark contrast to the altitude of the last two events in Mexico and Argentina.

The roads that wind through the Jordan Valley reach as low as 400 metres below sea level, and the only altitude section in the Rumman forests rises to just over 1000 metres, past the biblical site of Mount Nebo.

The rally comprises 21 stages and 351 competitive kilometres of hard-packed sandy roads on which crews will use Pirelli's hard compound Scorpion gravel tyre.

Special notes:

The normally loose surface has been bonded and hard-packed over the last two years to create the rally's stage route and provide crews with a very hard surface on which to compete.

Whilst the first few cars to run will inevitably experience a loose covering of sand, surface deterioration shouldn't be an issue, even as temperatures reach towards 40 degrees Celsius.

It does mean however that if crews run off line the surface will be far looser and grip reduced significantly. Whilst there is a lot of run-off in the barren desert landscape, which may give crews the confidence to push harder in the knowledge there is more chance that mistakes will go relatively unpunished, off-road excursions may still prove costly with soft sand and interspersed rocky outcrops.

The stages offer their own unique challenges in accurately judging distances and defining the roads amid the vast expanse of desert.

FIA World Rally Championship news:

Sebastien Loeb re-took the lead in the race for the 2008 FIA World Rally drivers' championship following his victory on the Rally Argentina at the end of last month.

Mikko Hirvonen meanwhile dropped to second after only finishing fifth - and is now five points adrift, while Chris Atkinson is third.

In the Manufacturers' championship the BP Ford Abu Dhabi WRT remains top, with 44 points on the board. The Citroen Total WRT however, closed the gap, down from 12 points to just 3.

There have been a number of developments since the last round, with the Pirelli Star Driver scheme confirmed, in a bid to help younger competitors reach the pinnacle of the sport and compete in the World Rally Championship, as well as news Marcus Gronholm is going to come out of retirement and compete in the European Rallycross Championship.

News from the Manufacturers' teams:

Citroen Total WRT:

[Sebastien Loeb, car #1 and Daniel Sordo, car #2]

Loeb out to stretch championship lead.

Having re-taken the initiative in the battle for the 2008 drivers' title last time out, Citroen's Sebastien Loeb has set his sights on increasing his lead in Jordan.

Loeb has enjoyed a storming season so far, having won three of the four events and currently he has 30 points on the board - five points up on his closest challenger, BP Ford's Mikko Hirvonen.

The Frenchman is now keen to add to that tally and take his number of WRC wins up to forty.

"Our objective will be to win with a view to increasing our lead in the Drivers' championship and enabling Citro?n to stay in the fight for top spot in the Manufacturers' standings," he confirmed.

"If Daniel [Elena - my co-driver] and I can pull that off, it will be our 40th WRC win. That's not something I'm particularly obsessed about, but it would make a nice, round figure!"

Jordan however will be a step into the unknown, as this will be the first time the Dead Sea-based event has hosted a round of the World Rally Championship and that could make things a bit more unpredictable.

Seb will also have to run first on the road on the opening leg and that will put him at a disadvantage as he will have to sweep away the loose gravel.

"We don't know much about the Jordan Rally, so I will be on my guard a little bit. It doesn't appear to be too tough on the cars, but running first on the road will be a handicap," he continued.

While the event is new to Loeb however, his team-mate, Daniel Sordo does have some experience to draw on, as he did the recce in 2007.

The Spaniard also took his first podium finish of the season last time out in Argentina and is keen now to build on it and again get onto the rostrum come the finish of the Middle East fixture.

"I have rarely turned up for the start of a WRC round with more experience of the event than most of my rivals [but that is the case this time]," said Dani.

"The stages tend to be fast and wide, with a surface that's as hard as concrete but which shouldn't cut up too much after the first loop.

"I think the pace will be quick but we will have to watch out for the top coating of loose gravel which will produce changes in grip. It will be unwise to stray off the ideal line, while going off isn't an option because of the deep ditches! We will aim for a podium finish."

BP Ford Abu Dhabi WRT:

[Mikko Hirvonen, car #3 and Jari-Matti Latvala, car #4 and Khalid Al Qassimi, car #14]

Hirvonen: I can't let Loeb gain ground.

Mikko Hirvonen will be a man on a mission on the Jordan Rally as he looks to try and wrestle back the lead in the drivers' championship.

Mikko was looking strong in Argentina at the end of last month and was leading by around 50 seconds when he hit a rock in SS5 and broke his front suspension.

Although he managed to salvage something and still scored four points, having re-started under the SupeRally on day two, it wasn't enough to stop Sebastien Loeb from seizing the advantage in the race for the title.

Now the 27-year-old will need to ensure Loeb doesn't pull any further ahead and ideally he will want to cut that five point deficit.

"I was happier with my speed on the first morning during the last round in Argentina. The poor conditions probably helped me initially, but when they improved I still took some time from S?bastien Loeb and so it was definitely an improvement," said Mikko.

"I've never been to Jordan but I've spoken to some drivers who have and seen photographs from our team, who visited the candidate rally last year. The roads look smooth and it seems as though the organisers have done a good job in preparing them.

"They look fast and flowing, like Finland but without the jumps, so if that's the case they should be good for me."

Jari-Matti Latvala is not worried about having to tackle a new event and is taking the step into the unknown very much in his stride.

Indeed he is no doubt comforted by how he did on the new events last year, when he finished fifth in Norway, eighth in Portugal and third in Ireland, to claim his first ever rostrum result.

"I think it is good [to do a new event] because everyone is in the same position and knowledge of the roads isn't an issue," he explained. "Last year there were three new rallies in the championship and I enjoyed the challenge of those so I'm looking forward to Jordan.

"I understand the roads are hard and fast so they should suit me. Although it's my first time in Jordan, car set-up isn't a concern. Now I have a set-up that feels good, I use that as a base for most rallies and don't need to make big changes, just a little fine tuning in places."

Khalid Al Qassimi meanwhile will be back in the 'third' car and he is the only leading driver with previous competitive experience of these roads, having won the candidate event last season.

"I've competed here six or seven times but the desert stages on which we used to drive have been replaced by new roads," he noted.

"This year about 40 per cent of the stages are different from 2007. The roads are so smooth it's like driving on asphalt - only the brown colour tells you they are not. I won last year by only pushing at 50 per cent and that's the pace at which I will start this year. If I feel good after the first couple of stages, then I will try to push harder.

"This is my first rally on Pirelli's new gravel tyre so I will need some time to learn about it."

Subaru WRT:

[Petter Solberg, car #5 and Chris Atkinson, car #6]

Petter hoping to make most of recce run in '07.

Petter Solberg will be hoping for a change of luck on the Jordan Rally after bad luck robbed him of good results on the last two rounds.

Petter began the season solidly with a fifth place finish in Monte Carlo and a fourth place finish in Sweden. Since then though the Norwegian has failed to get any more points with a driveshaft problem costing him in Mexico and an electrical failure depriving him of a certain runners-up place on the final day in Argentina.

Despite the disappointment though, 'Hollywood' will have an ace up his sleeve in Jordan. Indeed unlike most of his rivals, he did the reconnaissance for the Jordan candidate event in 2007 and that could give him a slight edge.

"I did the recce in Jordan last year and I was very happy to have the chance to look at the roads," said Petter.

"It will be a new event for everyone so we are doing all we can now, using the notes from the recce to prepare as best we can and try and be in the best shape for the rally.

"It may be possible to do the rally well with new pace notes and no experience of the roads, but I'm just trying to do things 110 per cent, and if the recce gives us even a slight advantage, it was worth it.

"It's a brand new event but we have the same mentality and approach to it as any other event, as we continue in the way that works best for us. The unseen roads are quite tricky, and there are a lot of crests.

"It's quite wide, but it's a little difficult to read the road surface and know just how much to push."

Chris Atkinson meanwhile is in a different situation and while he hasn't got any experience of the stages, he does have good momentum on his side, having taken three podiums from four so far this season, including two second places in Argentina and Mexico.

The Aussie is eager to maintain that run this time out ahead of a flurry of European event in Sardinia, Greece and Turkey.

"I haven't been to Jordan and don't really know what to expect. I've heard the roads are in quite good condition, but it's going to be difficult first time there having not done the recce last year," he added.

"It's very interesting to go to a country like that anyway as an experience, so I'm really looking forward to it. I'm going out a few days earlier to look around and see Petra, as it's not every day we'll come here. The fact that no-one has competed here before may even things up a little, but we know that the same guys will always be fast anywhere."

STOP PRESS: Crash.net spoke exclusively to SWRT managing director Richard Taylor ahead of the Jordan Rally. To hear the interview in full: CLICK HERE

Stobart VK M-Sport Ford Rally team:

[Gigi Galli, car #7 and Henning Solberg, car #8 and Matthew Wilson, car #16]

Henning set to try again, Galli out to avoid trouble.

With only four points to his credit this year, Henning Solberg will be gunning for a top-five spot in Jordan this week.

Henning season hasn't exactly really gone to plan so far and while he bucked the trend with a fifth place in Mexico, he was back in the doldrums in Argentina.

Indeed he retired from each leg, with rock impacts taking him out on legs one and three, while he was withdrawn from the afternoon stages on leg two to preserve his car for this week's trip to the Middle East, when he will again be nominated to score manufacturers' points for the Stobart squad.

"We will try again here in Jordan, it was quite unlucky what happened in Argentina but that is in the past and we have to focus on this rally now," said the Norwegian.

"I don't know much about the rally only what I have seen on the internet from last year.

"My engineer has done many years in the Middle Eastern Championship so I think it will be an advantage to have someone onboard who knows a lot about the surface already. We will be fighting hard again and hopefully we can get a top-five result in this rally."

Gigi Galli meanwhile hasn't had much luck on the last two events either and while he still managed to score in Argentina - and eventually finished in seventh due to the high attrition rate, he is hoping for a more trouble-free run this week.

"Rally Jordan enters the World Rally Championship this year for the first time so it is going to be brand new for most of the drivers," he added.

"We haven't been to the rally or to this country so we are particularly curious to discover it. Part of the route is below sea level which is going to be quite strange!

"I hope not to have trouble here and be able to have a good race and maintain a good pace. We did not have the best events in the last two rallies but I am really starting to get used to the new Focus now and I can't wait to see what it can do in Jordan."

M-Sport boss Malcolm Wilson is confident Henning, Gigi and his son Matthew - who will be entered in the third Stobart car - all have the potential to shine.

"This is going to be a unique event which could benefit the Stobart team with it being new to the WRC calendar. Conditions will be demanding in the heat and the long stage on Sunday will be a true test of concentration and fitness.

"All three Stobart drivers have shown impressive speed on gravel this year and Gigi's speed in Mexico was right up with the top guys until his retirement.

"A new rally brings with it new challenges and the main aim will be for each crew to finish with maximum experience of the new event with strong points for the team," Wilson Sr concluded.

STOP PRESS: Crash.net spoke exclusively to Matthew Wilson ahead of the Jordan Rally. To hear the interview in full: CLICK HERE

Munchi's Ford WRT:

[Federico Villagra, car #9 and Luis-Perez Companc, car #10]

Ice cream team eager to extend gap to Suzuki.

Federico Villagra and Luis-Perez Companc are both targeting points on the inaugural Jordan Rally.

Villagra has had a strong start to the season and has claimed points on both of his outings - taking a seventh place in Mexico and a sixth place in Argentina.

He recently built on that success by winning the Rally de Bariloche, the latest round in the Argentine Rally Championship, by just over half a minute and now has a commanding 12 point lead in his national championship after winning both the opening two rounds.

"We will be looking to score points for the third event in a row in Jordan next week. It has been a great start to the year for both Jorge [Perez Companc - my co-driver] and I and hopefully this can continue over in the Middle East," he noted.

"I don't know too much about the conditions in Jordan but I have heard it will be dry and quite smooth which will be a big change from Argentina last month.

"I have been racing in the Argentine Rally Championship before this event and we won the Rally de Bariloche so I am feeling very good coming into this event.

"The plan will be to again score more points for the Munchi's team and stay ahead of Suzuki in the Manufacturers' Championship. This will be a new rally for everybody which could help our result and I am looking forward to starting the event next Friday morning."

Luis Perez Companc meanwhile wants points too and he will be especially determined after retiring early on in Argentina.

The event in the Middle East will be a special one for him as well as it will mark his 30th WRC start - a feat only 106 WRC drivers have achieved. It will also be his second and penultimate appearance in this year's WRC after he scaled back his personal programme due to business and family commitments.

Luis isn't underestimating the task though and goes straight into the event having competed in the opening round of the FIA GT Championship at Silverstone from April 18-20.

"Jordan is going to be a very challenging event with the fast and slippery stages. I have heard that only a few drivers have competed in the Middle East which will make for an interesting competition because none of the drivers have pacenotes to look over, so it will be a fresh start for everybody," he continued.

"I don't think there will be any problem with the Pirelli tyre in Jordan because on this event we will reach the proper tyre temperature faster with the hot conditions. Punctures could be an issue with any slight off road excursions because I have heard there will be lots of stones on the side of the roads.

"My plan for this event is to finish inside the top-eight and score my first drivers' point this year. Also hopefully the Munchi's team can stay head of Suzuki in the manufacturers' after a good start so far."

To date the Munchi's Ford WRT team has scored 10 points, while Suzuki has 6 - 4 less.

Suzuki WRT:

[Toni Gardemeister, car #11 and Per-Gunnar Andersson, car #12]

Suzuki enhances performance and reliability.

Suzuki team boss Nobuhiro Tajima has admitted that while there is still a long way to go for his team, he is still hopeful they can get points this weekend in Jordan.

The Paris-based squad has managed to score driver or manufacturer points on three out of the four rallies held so far this year and while the reliability of the new SX4 WRC car has been somewhat undesirable, the team maintains it is making 'regular and steady improvements'.

Indeed for the latest round in the World Rally Championship, in order to cope with the specific demands of the event, there are 'a number of evolutions' to the SX4 WRC designed to 'enhance the performance and reliability'.

"The path to success is rarely a smooth one," said Tajima. "It is precisely because the World Rally Championship is so difficult that it holds so much attraction for us. Every time we compete we have to overcome new and bigger challenges, and the Jordan Rally is the latest in a long line of them.

"With such high temperatures and a wide variety of surfaces, this new event is sure to place a huge strain on the cars and drivers. It is also an event where we have no real idea of what to expect, but like the drivers I am hopeful that we can use this situation to our advantage.

"Of course, there is still a lot to learn and a long way for us to go, so our realistic objectives need to be modest.

"Nonetheless, I would like to fix the objective of continuing our rate of improvement and scoring points with both cars if possible. If we can achieve that after such a tough rally, then I will be very happy!"

Toni Gardemeister concurs that the fact Jordan is a step into the unknown could be good for them.

Indeed he is hoping to turn this situation into a positive and while a small number of drivers did do the recce for the round before it joined the WRC, none of the 'main' drivers have any real experience of it.

"It's very hard for me to know what to expect," said Toni, who is a WRC veteran, having taken in just over 100 events. "In fact, it's very strange to be setting off to compete somewhere and to have no idea what I will find there: I can't remember the last time I was in that situation!

"I think Jordan will be quite different from anywhere else though, and that can only be good for us as it makes everything more equal."

Per-Gunnar Andersson has a similar outlook: "It's going to be a bit of a mystery tour for us, but the same is true for everyone," he added. "I'm going to take the same approach as I have done on all the rallies this year: I'll push hard but nothing crazy and see where that puts us relative to everybody else. So far, our pace has been pretty good.

"I'm not actually sure which developments have gone on the car since Argentina, but for the moment I think we need to concentrate on reliability so we are sure of making the finish."

Junior WRC:

Round 2.

16 of the 18 competitors in the FIA Junior World Rally Championship category have opted to choose Jordan as one of their six nominated events.

After winning in Mexico, round 1 of the JWRC, Sebastien Ogier leads the series, with Jaan Molder and Michal Kosciuszko second and third.

Ogier was in a class of his own last time out and while it was only his first outing in the WRC, it didn't show and he led from start-to-finish, eventually taking the win by over 1.5 minutes and claiming the final 'senior' WRC point for good measure.

The Frenchman isn't getting carried away though, and is cautious about his prospects this weekend.

"The fact that we won the opening round doesn't mean that the Junior World Championship is ours for the taking! There's still a long way to go," said the FFSA-supported man

"Our main aim is to see the finish [in Jordan]. If we're as much at home there as we were in Leon we'll try to score another good result. One thing's certain: as it's a new event in the world championship we'll all start on a level playing field.

"I don't know much more about Jordan than I did about Mexico. I believe that the surface is very hard, and that the roads are quick as the terrain is pretty similar to asphalt. In any case the Citro?n C2 Super 1600's engine/chassis ensemble is so well balanced that it'll be on the pace whatever the set-up.

"Once again I haven't spent much time looking at the Junior WRC entry list. All I saw was that Martin Prokop wasn't on it. That means one tough rival less but there are still quite a few left."

Amongst his rivals, Suzuki Sport Europe duo, Molder and Kosciuszko, will both want to do well. Like Ogier though, they are also cautious.

"In Mexico my aim was to drive without taking too many risks for the maximum number of points, and this has to be the goal again in Jordan," noted Molder.

"I am not too sure what the rally will be like, so I think we have to be quite careful. There are sure to be many drivers having problems - and I don't want to be one of them!"

"From what I have heard Jordan will be a very tough rally, but I don't know much about it," added Kosciuszko.

"I think we will just have to see what the conditions are like when we get there to know how hard we can push. I always like new rallies, and the Swift is a very tough car, so if we stay out of trouble I think we can do well."

Other drivers' likely to figure include Patrik Sandell, who won the Junior title in 2006, as well as Alessandro Bettega, Andrea Cortinovis and Shaun Gallagher.

"Jordan is an entirely new rally so I don't really know what to expect," said the Irishman. "Whatever happens, I hope that we can get a better result than we did in Mexico.

"Martin Prokop and Aaron Burkart - my key rivals - won't be there, and I want to take advantage of their absence to score the maximum possible points. The challenge for me and the team will be to try and take a podium."

Florian Niegel meanwhile will be begin his JWRC campaign this weekend - and take in only his second ever WRC event under the 'Suzuki Rallye Junior Team Germany' banner.

"I have always dreamt of competing with the world's best juniors in the JWRC," said Niegel. "Although we are newcomers, my goal is to try and stick with the pace of the more experienced teams.

"It would be absolutely fantastic if we could finish somewhere on the podium on our first event."

Prokop and Burkart will not be in action as this is not one of their nominated events.

Other significant entries:

55 crews set to start.

55 crews are due to start round five - 16 of which will be in World Rally Cars, with all the manufacturer teams' represented.

In addition to the usual 'works' entries, Conrad Rautenbach and Urmo Aava will both compete in PH Sport-run Citroen C4 WRCs.

Rautenbach re-wrote the record books in Argentina last month by becoming the first Zimbabwean to ever score 'senior' points in the WRC, and while he concedes that is now history, there is no doubt it has done his confidence the world of good.

Indeed he can't wait to get out again in his PH Sport-run C4 WRC car and see how things go on the fifth round in the series.

Of the rest, in addition to the 16 JWRC runners, another 23 will compete for Group N honours, including Riccardo Errani and a number of local stars, such as Amjad Farrah, who was second on the candidate event last year.

Route:

The rally is based at the Dead Sea, 50km south-west of Amman and at 427m below sea level, the lowest point on earth. The stages will run through historical and biblical sites around the Jordan Valley and Rumman forests, and all except one are fully or partially below sea level.

World famous areas including the Baptism site of Jesus and Mount Nebo, where Moses looked over the Promised Land, will be part of the rally route.

Each day comprises two identical loops of tests with some roads being used four times over two separate legs.

The final leg is the longest and contains a sting in the tail with two passes over the twisty 41.45km Jordan River stage which runs through 'no man's land' on the Jordan - Palestine border.

Drivers tackle 22 stages in total covering 359.26 kilometres in a route of 983.44 kilometres.

Last year:

The Jordan Rally was not apart of the FIA World Rally Championship in 2007.

The candidate event though was won by Khalid Al Qassimi - the BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team's 'third' driver. Al Qassimi, who is taking in ten events in the WRC this season with the 'Blue Oval', won the round by just over a minute.

Amjad Farrah took the runners-up spot in his Evo, while Michel Saleh completed the podium, followed by Abdulla Al Qassimi and Abdulaziz Alkuwari in fourth and fifth respectively.