Makinen's fresh start

The Finn hasn't scored championship points since he scored his record-breaking 24th WRC win in Monte Carlo in January, but at the start of the first gravel round of the season, the Subaru driver says he's not feeling any pressure.

"I have a very good feeling with the car," said Makinen after shakedown on Thursday. "I feel under no pressure to score points because it's like starting the season again on gravel."

Rain in Cyprus has washed away much of the top surface of gravel, exposing the rough abrasive rocks underneath, and Makinen reckons this will make it one of the toughest events of the year.

"It's very rough - in some places it's even rougher than the Safari and Greece. You can't compare this rally to last year - it's like a completely different event. Although I've had a few retirements, I've got good road position for tomorrow."

Meanwhile, his team-mate Petter Solberg says he's aiming to overtake Gilles Panizzi in the number of fastest stage times set this season. Panizzi has been fastest on 17 stages this year, compared to Solberg's nine, and the young Norwegian is hoping to close the gap in Cyprus.

Solberg tested some development parts on Wednesday and was so happy with the components, he opted to use them for the rally.

"I was very encouraged yesterday doing a last-minute test with some new suspension parts flown in by Prodrive," he said. "It makes a very big difference."