BP Ford's Mikko Hirvonen is confident that his Focus RS WRC06 will be able to take strain on the Acropolis Rally this weekend, one of the toughest events of the season.

The Greek event demands a lot from the cars due to the heat and the rocky nature of the roads, not that it will be of much concern to Mikko as Ford traditionally goes well here. Indeed the M-Sport-run operation has won the Acropolis five times in the last seven years and that bodes well for Hirvonen and his team-mate, Marcus Gronholm.

"Last year's Acropolis was incredibly rough so I have to be prepared for that again," said Mikko, who was third on the event last year. "The stages were rocky and rutted and if they are in the same condition this year, then my car will take plenty of punishment.

"The obvious option is to ease off during the roughest sections but the pace of rallies now is so high that a driver can't afford to do that. You have to drive flat out everywhere. But the Focus is a strong car so I don't have any worries."

Hirvonen currently lies third in the drivers' standings, just four points behind Sebastien Loeb, who is now second after his error in Sardinia.

The 26-year-old Finn claimed his fifth podium of the season in Italy and was encouraged by the improved pace which moved him closer to the speed set by championship pacesetters Gronholm and Loeb.

"That was one of my targets in Italy and I want to keep that momentum going in Greece this week," he added. "If Marcus and Sebastien are battling for the lead, I want to be as close to them as possible."