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Sligo - Defending champion Sebastian Loeb begins the chase for his sixth title on the muddy, twisty roads of Ireland on Friday when a 12-race World Rally Championship, which has lost a third of its teams after the pullout of Subaru and Suzuki, starts up in wet and wintry conditions.
The Rally of Ireland has returned to the schedule after missing last year when Loeb cruised to his fifth world title and his Citroen team won the manufacturers' crown.
"The first time we came here, the conditions were rather delicate, but everything went well for us and the result proved decisive in our bid to win a fourth world title," Loeb said Thursday. "This year's championship kicks off with four rounds that weren't on last year's calendar, but they are not new territory because we did them all in 2007. And our objective hasn't changed either. After notching up five consecutive world titles, we are obviously aiming for a sixth crown."
Subaru and Suzuki pulled its teams from this year's championship, their Japanese owners citing concerns about the global economic crisis for quitting the sport. That effectively has left it a head-to-head between Citroen and Ford.
Loeb's main contender will be Mikko Hirvonen, in a Ford Focus, who was runner-up last season. The Finn was fastest in Thursday's shakedown ahead of the race itself.
"It felt OK today but you need to be brave in these conditions," Hirvonen said. "The grip level on the road today was quite good, fairly consistent, but even here there were little bits of gravel here and there and on those it was very difficult.
"It was a good test road, especially for the stages on Friday and Sunday. But the ones on Saturday are a bit different they're smoother and even faster."
