Duval praying for rain

Duval, who has been drafted into the official Ford team in an attempt to revive its flagging hopes of collecting a third straight manufacturers' award, beat his arch-rival and former Citroen teammate Sebastien Loeb to fastest time at shakedown just outside Ajaccio today.

Duval said: "Fastest time is nice, but the rally is tomorrow. I'm happy with the Focus here. It was sliding a lot in Spain, but we still managed to go quite quickly. Here, on what is a much more abrasive surface, I hope to raise my game and try to win.

"The weather seems a bit uncertain, but I think that tricky conditions could work in our favour. I like it when the weather is changing, it reminds me of my home and rallying in Belgium."

Loeb, who could clinch a record fifth successive title here in Corsica, admitted the Duval threat was a serious concern for him and the Citroen team.

The Frenchman said: "I think Fords will be closer. It's very different here from Catalunya. The roads are much more narrow and tricky than Catalunya. It's more his [Duval's] style of road. He's not driving very often, [usually] it might take time to get in the rhythm, but here I'm sure he'll fight from the start."