Sainz wants home glory

The Spaniard has won the event in 1992 and 1995 and believes that after recent development work on the Toyota Corolla he stands a good chance of repeating his past victories.

'Of course, for me, it is one of the best places to score a victory,' said Sainz. 'I think Catalunya has always been very tight, the differences between the cars are very small but I'm certain we will be in the fight.

'An easy, agile, positive and well balanced car that you can trust and use to the last centimetre of the road is important on tarmac, this will help make the tyre wear evenly, but also the brakes, engine, suspension - everything has to be right,' he added. 'We will be also using a revised shock absorber here which, during testing, has been very good.

'The stages close to Vic are more slippery, not so abrasive or tough on tyres as they are near Tarragona, and it is possible to cut corners more although the roads can become very dirty. Of course the weather and amount of wind can be tricky, especially as it can become humid in the mornings around the Vic area.'