Jari to turn Turkish inexperience into a plus?

BP Ford Abu Dhabi's Jari-Matti Latvala wants to bounce back from his Greek disappointment and put his Focus RS WRC07 on the rostrum in Turkey this weekend.

Latvala came away from the Acropolis with just two points after problems on day one and day two cost him time and left him at the tail-end of the points. Indeed despite showing good speed again, the 23-year-old conceded that he needs to find a better balance and be aware of just what he can and can't do with his car.

Although he has only competed in Turkey once before - back in 2004 - he thinks this lack of experience might actually work in his favour and stop him from over attacking.

"I'm really happy with the speed I've shown in Italy and Greece - but in Greece I learned that I need to find a way to drive fast when road conditions are good, but when it is rougher I need to back off but remain fully competitive," he explained.

"Maybe if I am not able to attack as much as in Italy and Greece, because my experience isn't high, possibly that will help. If I'm not attacking as hard, it might help me have a clean run through the stages.

"A podium is my target however and I won't be disappointed if I'm not able to fight for the victory."

Asked about the Kemer-based event in more detail and how it differs to Greece, he added that while it is not quite so severe it is still tough.

Rain can also been an issue, and while conditions are expected to be dry and hot, previous years have shown that precipitation can quickly turn the clay roads into a muddy mess.

"The stages are not hard and stone-based, they have a softer composition which allows loose rocks to be pulled out onto the surface so it will be another tough event for cars. They roads are fairly slow and technical, but quite wide.

"I would prefer a dry rally rather than a wet one as driving in the wet in Turkey is very difficult," he concluded.