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After the longest summer break in the series' history, the PCWRC competitors are back in action this coming weekend as the Production Car World Rally Championship makes it sole appearance on the Asian continent for the upcoming Rally Japan.

An event on the world championship calendar since 2004, this third running of the rally, in the homeland of both SUBARU and Mitsubishi, is bound to yet again attract a huge number of diehard rally fans. Audience figures in the region of 200,000 are expected to line the stages of the high-speed narrow-track route through rural Hokkaido.

In the PCWRC, this prowess has been felt even more strongly - Japanese manufacturers SUBARU and Mitsubishi ruling the roost in terms of competitor entries in the worldwide Group N contest. This season is no different, with the Japanese rivals again going head-to-head, with SUBARU once more marching out in front.

While running first and third in the PCWRC points' standings, the leading SUBARU Impreza drivers Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah (on 34) and Toshi Arai (15) are not competing on this round, allowing 2nd-place man and Mitsubishi driver Mirco Baldacci (17 points) to add to his tally. He sits 2 points ahead of Arai, (competing in a SUBARU IMPREZA WRC 2006 on his home event), and seventeen behind the championship leader.

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Young up and coming Japanese driver Takuma Kamada has a new partner in the car, the veteran Denis Giraudet, one of the world's most experienced co-drivers. The pair worked on getting their pace notes just right, switching from Japanese to English, and putting in as many runs as possible throughout the day.

Jari Matti Latvala spent the day comparing different types of suspension systems, quickly coming to a positive conclusion on the Tommi Makinen Reiger system, which seems for him to be working much faster. Loris Baldacci should have been the next person in the test, coming into the PCWRC in his Motoring Club car, taking the entry of the absent Sergei Uspenskiy. Likewise, Polish hotshoe Leszek Kuzaj had to sit his Japanese driving test, and also missed the pre-event test.

Aki Teiskonen was on a mission on Monday, refining suspension settings for the roads. Both Aki and Jari Matti undertook shakedown duties for their teammates (absent due to their driving tests), Teiskonen standing in for Kuzaj and Latvala for Baldacci, making sure their cars were correct ahead of the rally.

George Donaldson - STI Group N Prioject General Manager:
"After taking runs with a number of the drivers in the test today, there's no doubt in my mind the PCWRC drivers are taking the cars every bit to the last inch of the limit as the top WRC drivers."