BP Ford's Marcus Gronholm heads to the Acropolis Rally next weekend determined to try and build on his seven point lead in the drivers' championship.

Gronholm took his second win of the season in Sardinia recently and that result, combined with Sebastien Loeb's retirement, has put him right back in contention for his third world title and the Finn is keen to try and capitalise on this.

"Victory in Italy put me back into the lead of the championship. The next two rallies now give me the opportunity to build on that lead. The Acropolis is traditionally a strong event for Ford while the first event after the summer break in Finland is my home event so I really want to capitalise on those," he confirmed.

Gronholm has competed on the Acropolis eight times in his career and won the event last year. Furthermore while the event has a fearsome reputation and is tough on both man and machine, due to the high temperatures, it may be muddy in places this year due to recent rain.

Indeed Ford's four-day pre-event test last week near Livadia in central Greece was disrupted by storms and while Gronholm and team-mate, Mikko Hirvonen were due to do two days each, in the end they ended up just doing one. Gronholm was happy though with the changes made to the suspension and engine response.

Asked about the Acropolis, he conceded it is far from easy: "It's a hard event for both drivers and cars. The weather during our test this week has been cold, muddy and wet. It is forecast to turn warmer and drier in time for the rally but in the shaded areas where the surface is often clay-based, mud patches may remain. That will be strange for Greece," he continued.

"My confidence is good however - and I really want to take the fight to [Sebastien] Loeb as I did in Italy."