Rossi tipped to impress in NZ

Last week the Italian had a taste of the 2005 Subaru Impreza he will use for the event, and he has received positive feedback from those that were present at the test in Wales.

His co-driver Carlo Cassina is expecting Rossi to perform well, especially on the first day of the event when he has a favourable position on the road.

"On the first day we'll be close to the top cars without problems," he was quoted as saying in Gazzetta Dello Sport.

"But in the following two days, when the starting order is set by reverting the overall classification, we'll be among the ones who will have to sweep the road for the others.

"That's one extra difficulty for Valentino, who obviously still has very limited experience."

Rossi went to Wales after testing the new MotoGP bike that he will race next year for Yamaha at Valencia.

Pirelli's Terenzio Testoni was quoted as saying that he expects the 27-year-old to be sensible as he tackles the event for the first time.

"Valentino is an intelligent guy," he said. "He knows New Zealand is completely different from the Monza Rally and Bologna Motor Show rally he has done in the past , so he'll be able to resist the temptation of trying too hard."

According to reports, Rossi decided to pay for his entry in the event rather than be part of the works Subaru team, so that he would not have any sponsor commitments.

He is also expected to test a Mercedes DTM car later this week.