Event: Wales Rally GB Venue: Cardiff Date: 4-7 December
Coverage:Daily reports on BBC Sport website
Five-time champion Sebastian Loeb heads into the final round of the World Rally Championship looking to end his season with a maiden Wales Rally GB victory.
Loeb, 34, has never won the Welsh event despite dominating the rally scene and the Frenchman admitted he would like to explore new avenues in motorsport.
"I'm looking around for some new challenges," he told BBC 5 Live.
"I have so much experience in rallies that I'd now like to discover some new things and Formula One is exciting."
The manufacturers' championship remains open going into the final weekend, with Loeb's Citroen team on 175 points leading the Cumbria-based Ford team by 11 points.
And Loeb is keen to add to the fifth straight WRC title he won in Japan last month with the team prize.
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"This time we have to drive for the manufacturers' championship, and if we finish second then we will win that championship, so we will see," he added.
Conditions have plagued drivers ahead of the rally, which begins with a ceremonial start on Thursday, before its official start on Friday.
Ice and snow have made patches of the course very difficult to negotiate, with both Loeb and Welsh driver Gwyndaf Evans slipping off the road in pre-event reconnaissance.
Meanwhile, MotoGP champion Valentino Rossi has targeted a top 10 finish from his second appearance in Rally GB with Stobart Ford.
Rossi, 29, made his British debut in 2002 but was forced out early on and admitted he is excited by his return to this year's event.
"My first target is to try to finish the race," he said.
"In New Zealand I arrived at 11th so we will try to improve on that result a little bit.
Rally driver loses his L-plates
"I'm also delighted to be supporting BBC Children in Need, which does such vital work in the UK.
"It's a great charity and one I'm very pleased to be involved in."
Teenage Welshman Tom Cave will be competing in his debut Rally GB, making history as the youngest ever competitor.
At 17 years and 18 days Cave will drive a Group N Ford Fiesta ST and confessed just being part of the rally will be a proud moment in his fledgling career.
"Ever since I can remember, it's been my dream to compete on the UK round of the WRC," he said.
"Some of my earliest memories are spectating on the event with my father, who was an avid fan and always took me to watch when he wasn't competing himself."
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