Four-time world champion Sebastien Loeb was on Thursday getting mentally prepared for what he believes will could be one of his toughest, and different, tests in a rally car.

The Jordan Rally makes its world rally championship (WRC) debut on Friday in a desert setting "totally shorn of vegetation, or any kind of landmark", according to Loeb, that is sure to give the entire field a weekend to remember.

Temperatures are set to reach 45°C in the cars, in which, for Loeb at least, there will no air conditioning.

That is just one of the challenges that makes the French ace believe that these next three days will be physically as well as mentally tough.

"It's really different compared to the rallies we're used to. Here, we're really in the desert, no trees, no bushes, hardly any landmarks at all," said Loeb.

"On the course there are a lot of crests, with hidden bends immediately after them so positioning the car is going to be one of our first challenges.

"It's also very hot, close to 45 degrees inside the cars because there's no air conditioning. The air that comes through the sunroof is hot as well. It's going to be physically tiring too."

Loeb described the "trap-riddled" surface as "asphalt-like and grippy, except when there's sand or gravel which makes it really slippery".

He admits that he and his co-driver will be paying special attention to their race notes.

"From one second to the next the grip conditions change dramatically, so we will have to be equipped with a set of very specific notes, ones we can rely on," added the Frenchman.

"It's not easy. I'll be racing according to the conditions, and hope to lose not too much time at the start.

"The key is not to get too carried away in the first specials (stages) and to try and get used to the terrain before letting yourself go later on."

Although existing as a round of the Middle Eastern Rally since the 1980s, the Jordan Rally is making its debut this season on the world rally championship (WRC) circuit, thus becoming the first Arab country to do so.

Organisers hope they do enough to convince the sport's ruling body the FIA to make it a permanent feature on the WRC calendar.

Despite some critics, Loeb believes the rally, raced on gravel roads around the Dead Sea and Jordan Valley areas 50km outside the capital, has its place in the world championships.

"It's not up to me to make these kind of decisions," he said.

"The important thing is that there's a market here for the constructors. It looks to be a good circuit, and it's well organised, so for me there's no reason not to come."

AFP