Mikko Hirvonen is hoping home advantage will supply him with a winning hand in this weekend's Rally of Finland.
In its 60 years of existence this ultra-demanding leg of the World Rally Championship has only been won seven times by non-Finnish drivers, the last being Sebastien Loeb of France in 2008.
Hirvonen, who hails from Jyvaskyla, the town around which the rally runs, captured it in 2009 but crashed out last year.
The 30 year old said: "A win here is important, not only because I live close by but also because I need to get as many points on the board as I can."
The BP Ford Abu Dhabi driver is placed second in this year's title race, 17 points behind Loeb, the multiple world champion, after seven of the 13 rallies.
Hirvonen's fellow Finn and teammate, Jari-Matti Latvala, said that it helped to have nerves of steel in a contest where the slightest mistake can spell disaster.
"You have to control any feeling of fear," said Latvala, for whom this event signals a personal milestone being his 100th rally. "The pace of this rally is so high that each error is magnified. To win here you need to drive perfectly from the first to the last bend."
Loeb, vying for his fourth win of the season, agreed, saying: "When I won here in 2008 I had to be at 200 per cent.
"It's not my favourite circuit," said the Citroen driver.
His compatriot and teammate, Sebastien Ogier, is also sitting on three wins this year putting him in third in the drivers' race.
The 27 year old believes a non-local win is on the cards.
"We know it's one of the hardest rallies of the year up against the Finns, but it's not impossible to beat them."
The first three special stages take place today.
THE SPECS
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Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
Analysis
Members of Syria's Alawite minority community face threat in their heartland after one of the deadliest days in country’s recent history. Read more
Ways to control drones
Countries have been coming up with ways to restrict and monitor the use of non-commercial drones to keep them from trespassing on controlled areas such as airports.
"Drones vary in size and some can be as big as a small city car - so imagine the impact of one hitting an airplane. It's a huge risk, especially when commercial airliners are not designed to make or take sudden evasive manoeuvres like drones can" says Saj Ahmed, chief analyst at London-based StrategicAero Research.
New measures have now been taken to monitor drone activity, Geo-fencing technology is one.
It's a method designed to prevent drones from drifting into banned areas. The technology uses GPS location signals to stop its machines flying close to airports and other restricted zones.
The European commission has recently announced a blueprint to make drone use in low-level airspace safe, secure and environmentally friendly. This process is called “U-Space” – it covers altitudes of up to 150 metres. It is also noteworthy that that UK Civil Aviation Authority recommends drones to be flown at no higher than 400ft. “U-Space” technology will be governed by a system similar to air traffic control management, which will be automated using tools like geo-fencing.
The UAE has drawn serious measures to ensure users register their devices under strict new laws. Authorities have urged that users must obtain approval in advance before flying the drones, non registered drone use in Dubai will result in a fine of up to twenty thousand dirhams under a new resolution approved by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai.
Mr Ahmad suggest that "Hefty fines running into hundreds of thousands of dollars need to compensate for the cost of airport disruption and flight diversions to lengthy jail spells, confiscation of travel rights and use of drones for a lengthy period" must be enforced in order to reduce airport intrusion.
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Company%20profile
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Graduated from the American University of Sharjah
She is the eldest of three brothers and two sisters
Has helped solve 15 cases of electric shocks
Enjoys travelling, reading and horse riding
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The BIO:
He became the first Emirati to climb Mount Everest in 2011, from the south section in Nepal
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He carries dried camel meat, dried dates and a wheat mixture for the final summit push
His new goal is to climb 14 peaks that are more than 8,000 metres above sea level
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