BP Ford Abu Dhabi team drivers Mikko Hirvonen and Jari-Matti Latvala have given their approval to Rally Australia's new stages after driving the complete route on the pre-event recce.

Both Latvala and Hirvonen said the 26 brand new gravel stages in northern New South Wales were a mix of fast open roads and narrow twisty sections and reminded them of the roads of Rally New Zealand.

"They're a little bit faster and there aren't the same camber changes, but the gravel surface and the landscape are pretty much the same," Latvala told wrc.com. "After Rally Finland it will be good to do another fast rally. Yes, there are some rain forest stages which are slower and twisty but I'd say that 80 per cent of the route is very fast."

Drivers' championship leader Hirvonen said the east coast roads seemed less technical than those in Western Australia, where the event was last run in 2006.

"I don't think the roads here are quite so demanding as the previous ones, but the mixture of twisty stuff and flat out roads is something new," said Hirvonen. "I think we'll be able to get used to the high speed stages straight away, but Friday has a lot of short technical stages too and on those you have to be patient. The variety of stages means it’s going to be tough to get into a steady driving rhythm."

"The roads have a very hard base with a bit of loose gravel on top, which could make it hard for me being first on the road on Friday, but it’s not like the ball bearing gravel we had in Perth," he said.

With a total of 35 Special Stages, the rally features more than any other round this year - something Ford team boss Malcolm Wilson considers a unique challenge.

"I think the number of stages will play a big part in this rally There are almost double the number you’d find on a normal WRC event, so if a driver keeps making the odd little mistake they're really going to pay the price here," he said. "A slight mistake on a long stage is not too bad, but on short stages you're instantly going to see the time lost, and it's harder to get back. It’s totally different to what we're used to."

          
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