Latvala says asphalt sections vital

Event organisers have broken with tradition by including mixed-surface stages. A fifth of the competitive route is now on asphalt.

The El Condor-Cuesta Blanca stage on Friday will end with a 12-mile downhill section on asphalt. The Las Jarillas-Falda del Carmen stage used twice on Saturday starts on gravel but 9 miles are downhill on asphalt. Crews will tackle the entire event with full gravel settings and gravel tyres.

Latvala, fourth in the WRC after five rounds, said: "The first nine miles of El Condor [on asphalt] is fast, abrasive but generally quite good. But after that it gets really, really quick and you need to have a big commitment over those sections. You can easily lose a lot of time there if you hesitate. That's a very important section.

"On Saturday it is fast but more flowing and with some nasty downhill braking. This rally can be easily lost on the asphalt sections if you hesitate. But on the other hand you don't want to push too much to save the car."

Latvala and Ford team-mate Mikko Hirvonen conducted a special test in Sardinia last month to sample driving their Ford Fiesta RS WRCs on asphalt.

"I had a much better feeling than I did with the Focus on asphalt with gravel tyres," Latvala continued. "In that sense it gives me a positive feeling to go on those sections or the rally."

Ford team chief Malcolm Wilson said: "We're here for a gravel rally but we're going to be rallying on asphalt with gravel suspension, gravel tyres. It's not the perfect solution and I don't see what it's really adding."