"Most of the people I am competing against did this rally last year, but I did not," said Giandomenico Basso (above on the last IRC round in Portugal), "which is why the shakedown will be even more important for me." The Abarth team will be hoping for no repeat this weekend of Umberto Scandola's incident two years ago on the Ypres Rally when his Super2000 machine became submerged in a small lake.

The shakedown for the Ypres Rally, the third round of the IRC, gets underway this evening (Thursday), with crews having the chance to drive the shakedown road near Nieuwkerke until 23:00 local time and with Abarth gearing up for their challenge for victory.

The shakedown is a last-minute opportunity for crews to finalise the set-up of their cars before the start of the rally. Although the test stage is short, it is usually valuable as Abarth's Giandomenico Basso- who won the Ypres Rally in 2006 - explains. "We've done some testing in Italy for this event but not here in Belgium, so the shakedown this evening is a useful opportunity as it is the first time that we will be driving on these roads," he said. "Most of the people I am competing against did this rally last year, but I did not - which is why the shakedown will be even more important for me. This is a very specific rally, so the more time you get in the car the better it is. I like this rally and these stages a lot, but the last time we competed on asphalt was Sanremo in October last year, so we have a bit of catching up to do."

The stages around Ypres are like nowhere else in the world, with fast and narrow farm tracks leading into tight 90-degree bends. These roads are often flanked by drainage ditches, meaning that there is no room for error. The corners are also littered with loose gravel from all the agriculture that goes on in the area, putting traction and grip at a premium.

Ypres is an event that often rewards local specialists: Peugeot drivers Freddy Loix and Patrick Snijers are both bidding for a record fifth consecutive victory this weekend.

The IRC's Motorsport Development Manager, Jean-Pierre Nicolas, has driven through all 18 stages on the schedule and concluded: "These are typical Ypres stages this year: fast, very technical, and requiring a high degree of precision. One of the biggest keys to success here will be knowing how and when to cut the corners. This is one area where the local people might really benefit. If you get the sequence of corner-cutting right, then you can start to build up a rhythm to carry you from one corner into the next smoothly. There are plenty of traps to catch people out though, and it's also a rally that is very hard on brakes. As always, it's essential to drive smoothly."

The short shakedown stage this evening is typical of the local roads, and it usually attracts huge crowds of spectators. The weather is warm and dry, with conditions expected to remain stable for the rest of the rally. The first proper stage of the event starts at 17:59 tomorrow night (Friday) and the rally is scheduled to finish at 22:30 on Saturday.