HYUNDAIS ALL SET FOR A ROUGH RIDE IN GREECE

Alister McRae and Kenneth Eriksson head for Greece in confident mood this week after giving the Hyundai Castrol World Rally Team its first point towards the manufacturers' championship in Argentina last time out.

McRae, whose seventh place in South America was good enough to clinch that precious point, described the result as a massive boost for the team, especially with Eriksson finishing only one place behind in eighth.

‘To score a point like that four rallies into our new programme is a fantastic reward for the hard work of everybody within the team,' he said. 'Now we have to try to take that next step where we can fight for podium positions.'

Both drivers have been in France testing their four-wheel drive Accent WRCs to prepare them for the rigours of the Rally of Greece (8-11 June), which is renowned as being the roughest of the season.

'We've mainly been working on the suspension, transmission and differential locks,' said McRae. 'Before Argentina we did a big test which allowed me to get the car set up more to my driving style, and every time we run we find new little things to improve it.

'The car has proved its speed on the four events it has done, and if it hadn't been for a driveshaft problem on the final day in Argentina I would have scored a point in the drivers' championship, too.

'We know what the reliability issues are and we're working to iron them out, but it's very difficult when we have committed ourselves to 12 events around the world in our first season at this level. It puts everyone within the team under a tremendous strain.

'Greece will be very difficult because the roads are so hard on the car. Last year was my first time there and it was extremely rough, though I'm told the conditions can change from year to year and be much smoother sometimes. We'll only find out when the race starts.'