The 2008 WRC Season Preview

It seems like only yesterday that Sebastien Loeb was being hoisted on to the bonnet of his Citroen C4 to hail his fourth consecutive World Rally Championship title in Wales.

But there's hardly such a thing as an off-season in the World Rally Championship, so just 53 days later, he'll begin his quest to make it five in a row. The 76th running of the Monte Carlo Rally will welcome 50 participants for another jaunt around the famously treacherous cliff edges, beginning tomorrow evening.

Despite the short break, there has still been enough movement to ensure this year's WRC has a very different look to it, with the loss of Marcus Gronholm the most significant alteration.

Gronholm leaves a significant void to fill, not only in terms of legacy, but more immediately as the person most likely to take the fight to the almighty Loeb.

Nonetheless, reigning manufacturers' champions Ford maintain their affiliation with Finnish drivers by promoting Stobart standout Jari-Matti Latvala into Gronholm's place alongside new team leader Mikko Hirvonen. Both drivers are clearly talents, and the team has a lot of faith in each to step up to their intended new role and deliver.

It will be a baptism of fire for Hirvonen and Latvala as they try to keep tabs on the Frenchman at Monte Carlo, because Loeb is at his extraordinary best at one of the toughest tests on the calendar. He often revels in the tricky conditions on asphalt and he's made the event his own over the years - he'll be gunning for a record-breaking fifth win from seven attempts this year.

Indeed, Loeb insists that the tougher the conditions, the better for him.

"I'm obviously dreaming of a white Monte Carlo, with real wintry conditions," he said. "Last year, the conditions were particularly dry but it should be fun if we get snow and ice this time round. The challenge of having to contest the final day's four stages with the same tyres could well turn out to be quite delicate."

Mikko Hirvonen © LAT

His toughest competition could well come from within the Citroen camp this year, with young Spaniard Dani Sordo embarking on his second full season with the team.

He's comes in on the back of a largely impressive maiden season that delivered seven podiums and fourth place in the standings, although it was hindered by slightly lacklustre pace on gravel. Still, Monte Carlo brings Sordo to his most favoured surface and even Loeb will admit his understudy is probably the closest match to him on the grippy stuff.

With Gronholm watching from the sidelines, Hirvonen steps up into the role of team leader at Ford, a status he admirably sampled towards the end of 2007 with dominant victories in Japan and Wales.

It remains to be seen whether Hirvonen has the ability to be the ultimate successor to Marcus and take the fight to Loeb, but it will be harsh to judge his merits on the back of their comparative performances at Monte Carlo. After all, even Gronholm rarely got close to Loeb here.

Hirvonen said: "I can't wait to get started again. I will begin every rally thinking about winning, but if I can't do that then second place is where I need to be.

"It will be difficult for me to take on Marcus's role in the team but I feel ready for it. I have learned much from him during the last two seasons and now it's time for me to move on and show that I too can fight for the drivers' title."

But Hirvonen will also have to contend with the challenge from a team-mate with bags of potential. Latvala gets his big break after a fine end to the 2007 season that was defined by his dominance on Rally GB. Forgetting the wiper problems that lost him 10 minutes earlier in the event, he went on to win 10 of the last 11 stages.

Whilst his erratic reputation has not helped him in the past, the Finn was composed on the way to a podium in Ireland and now has the best opportunity of his career to cement his status as a future champion. There is no better place to prove that than on the Monte but, like Hirvonen, Latvala doesn't favour asphalt and he is well aware of the challenges ahead.

"I think it will be snowy and icy but rallying is about challenges and in such difficult conditions," said Latvala. "If I drive well, then I can gain big time advantages over the others. Driving in the dark is also hard but that's another challenge and that's what makes this sport so exciting."

Subaru are back and conceding that it will be a low-key return until their long-awaited new car arrives later in the season. Unfortunately, they could be stuck with their dismal 2007 form, where they spent more time fending off privateer teams than challenging Citroen and Ford, until then.

Fielding an unchanged line-up of Petter Solberg and Chris Atkinson, Subaru soldier on with the Impreza that was described as 'undriveable' on occasions last year. But team boss Dave Richards is back on board and is committed to turning things round. The team will be hoping he'll be able to pick them up even before the new car comes.

PG Andersson, Suzuki SW4, Tour de Course © LAT

Subaru have a strong pairing in Solberg and Atkinson, undoubtedly strong enough to take the fight to Loeb and Hirvonen with the right equipment, but a lot will depend on whether they can keep their cars, and their morale, moving in the right direction.

After a fleeting - and rather anonymous - appearance towards the end of 2007, Suzuki make their full-time debut in the WRC this season with Toni Gardemeister and Per-Gunnar Andersson assuming driver duties.

With the SX4 having lacked pace on the few outings it managed, expectations are modest heading into 2008. Still, in Gardemeister Suzuki have something of a Monte Carlo expert, who promises to wring more out of the car than it would perhaps otherwise be capable of. Andersson, meanwhile, has a point to prove after spending too many seasons in the Junior category.

Leading the privateer charge again will be Stobart M-Sport, who very nearly caused a major upset in beating Subaru to third in the manufacturers' championship in 2007. Unsurprisingly, the Ford B-team has become a far more attractive proposition for drivers in 2008 and they head to Monte Carlo with four cars.

Fronting the team this year will be Mitsubishi refugee and always popular character Gigi Galli. The Italian returns after two seasons that featured only sporadic independent appearances. Occasionally blisteringly quick on any surface, Galli will be one to watch in Monte Carlo - especially if he can get the better of team-mate Francois Duval.

Duval's stuttered career takes another upturn by securing a points-nominated Stobart Focus for Monte Carlo. The Belgian is a likely top five contender if his fine performances on sealed surfaces in Spain and France last season are anything to go by.

His acquisition - for one event only - takes the pressure off Matthew Wilson and Henning Solberg, who are likely to be more representative when the gravel and snow rallies begin.

Perhaps the biggest technical change this year will be the switch from BF Goodrich to Pirelli tyres. With only Subaru au fait with the Italian rubber, the ball would seem to be in their court. However, new rules removing the use of anti-deflation mousse in the tyre to prevent punctures haven't gone down well with the drivers.

Particularly when there's snow around, the drivers will have to be much more cautious and the risks in cutting corners will go up steeply. It could give some the opportunity to make more progress if they are willing to take risks, though.