The China Rally, the final round of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge campaign, will take the series into new territory this weekend through what is the largest population centre of the world, complete with a rapidly-expanding car market.

The all-gravel event is one of the toughest on the entire IRC calendar this year, and is characterised by rapidly changing conditions both in terms of surface and weather. Last year's China Rally was made all the more tricky by heavy rain, and while this year's conditions are expected to be drier, the weather can still change rapidly.

When they get wet, the normally hard gravel surfaces can become extremely muddy: making tyre choice crucial. A number of hairpin bends are a regular feature of the mountainous route, so good traction and grip will be a key to success.

The itinerary - based in the town of Longyou, 400 kilometres south of Shanghai - takes in some of the most spectacular scenery in the world, with a number of the stages breaking through the cloud barrier. The China Rally is also a well-established round of the FIA Asia-Pacific Championship and the constantly-expanding Chinese Championship, which means that a number of drivers will start the event with plenty of experience and a good chance of winning.

A number of top drivers will be eligible to score IRC points in China, mostly driving Group N Mitsubishi Lancers. Amongst them will be Hideaki Miyoshi, who finished on the podium on the very first round of the IRC this year - the Safari Rally. Other top drivers expected to star on the event include former American and British Champion David Higgins.

"China is a very technical rally that appeals to every driver," he said. "There is a wide variety of conditions, which means that you have to be quite versatile in your approach and a bit of experience definitely helps. If it stays dry the roads are so smooth that you could almost run on asphalt tyres, but if it rains like last year there will be plenty of mud. It's a real challenge!"

Higgins' priority will be to finish the rally in order to secure his Mitsubishi WY team the manufacturers' title in the Chinese Championship this year.

Another former British Rally champion, Martin Rowe, will also take the start in a Mitsubishi Lancer. Finn Jussi Valimaki will be one of the most experienced competitors on the event in a Mitsubishi, having previously competed on the World Rally Championship and won the Asia Pacific Championship in 2005. Katsuhiko Taguchi is another well-known Mitsubishi driver who could also challenge for the win.

With the IRC manufacturers' title effectively decided in Peugeot's favour, Peugeot and Abarth have decided not to compete in China.