Solberg fears 'sweeper' role

This year's Italian event has moved from its traditional Sanremo slot to new pastures in Sardinia. Replacing the sealed asphalt stages will be sandy and gravel stages that Solberg and Loeb will clear for their rivals further back.

It is vital that the Subaru ace secures solid points this weekend - championship leader Loeb can wrap up the title in Italy if he scores three more points than Solberg.

The Norwegian is riding high after winning the last two rallies in Japan and Wales and is confident for this weekend, despite his early running.

"Sardinia will be difficult because of my road position," Solberg said. "The surface is very loose, but it will be the same for Loeb too. I'm feeling good, though. It's so good to have won the last two rallies, and we've done pretty well on all the gravel events so far this year. We've proved our pace. The stages in Sardinia are very narrow, very twisty and very difficult, but that just adds to the challenge for me. I hope we can get another win."

Solberg's Subaru team boss, David Lapworth, has also hinted that the weather could be a factor. "Compared to what we're used to, Italy is going to be a very different rally this year," he said. "The road surface is fairly sandy, with a hard-packed base, and the stages are narrow and moderately twisty. I expect we'll see speeds of around 90kph, just below average for a gravel rally.

"In terms of weather, we're expecting warm temperatures, with the risk of some autumn showers. [Our] Pirelli tyres seem to cope well with these types of varied conditions. The first stages in Argentina and Mexico had a similar feel to those of Sardinia, and we were very competitive there, which is a good omen."