While the shakedown itself doesn't mean a great deal in terms of times recorded, it does provide the teams the opportunity to get to grips with the expected conditions over the forthcoming event.

Today's shakedown for Rally Wales GB, the 15th and final round of the 2008 championship, took place on the same stage as last year - the Penllergaer forest - in predictably damp and chilly conditions.

Mikko Hirvonen, second in the championship this year with the works Ford team, set the pace this morning on the 3.90km stage with an unofficial time of 2:25.6 seconds, just under a second clear of four-time Rally Wales GB winner Petter Solberg in the leading Subaru.

Sebastien Loeb, who has already clinched his record fifth title but has never actually won this event, posted the third fastest time ahead of Dani Sordo in the second works C4.

Jari-Matti Latvala, back with the works Ford team again this weekend, was fifth fastest ahead of Francois Duval in the leading Stobart Ford entry.

Things were not quite so simple for Duval's team-mate Henning Solberg however as he lost control on his second run of the day. “It happened on the first straight," the Norwegian driver explained. "We were doing about 150kph when - bang - the damper just came through the bonnet. We immediately went off and finally came to a stop when the car touched a tree."

Fortunately, the Focus sustained little damage and Solberg is hoping that there will be no repeat of the incident when it really counts.

Chris Atkinson was seventh best in the second official Subaru Impreza ahead of local driver Matthew Wilson. P-G Andersson and Sebastien Ogier rounded out the top ten.

Meanwhile, MotoGP champion Valentino Rossi was 17th in his Ford Focus after negotiating a deal with Jari Ketomaa to run the #46 entry, his ‘lucky' number.

Next up ahead of the real action tomorrow morning is the ceremonial start outside the Cardiff Law Courts at 18.00 GMT.

“With the world's top rally drivers, cars, special celebrity guests and Winter Wonderland outside Cardiff City Hall, there is always a great atmosphere at the Ceremonial Start,” stated Rally Wales GB CEO Andrew Coe.

Special Stage 1, the first of 19, gets underway Friday at 09.08 GMT with Hafren 1.

Shakedown – Rally Wales GB:

1  Mikko Hirvonen     – Jarmo Lehtinen     Ford Focus WRC       2:25.6
2  Petter Solberg     – Phil Mills         Subaru Impreza WRC   2:26.5
3  Sébastien Loeb     – Daniel Elena       Citroën C4 WRC       2:27.0
4  Daniel Sordo       – Marc Marti         Citroën C4 WRC       2:27.2
5  Jari-Matti Latvala – Miika Anttila      Ford Focus WRC       2:28.1
6  François Duval     – Denis Giraudet     Ford Focus WRC       2:29.0
7  Chris Atkinson     – Stéphane Prévot    Subaru Impreza WRC   2:29.2
8  Matthew Wilson     – Scott Martin       Ford Focus WRC       2:30.2
9  P.G. Andersson     – Jonas Andersson    Suzuki SX4 WRC       2:30.4
10 Sébastien Ogier    – Julien Ingrassia   Citroën C4 WRC       2:30.6.
(...)