Noumea (New Caledonia), Jun 13 (IANS): Team MRF drivers Esapekka Lappi (co-driver Janne Ferm) and Gaurav Gill (Glenn Macneall) head into this weekend's Rally New Caledonia intent on building on their successful start to the 2013 Asia-Pacific Rally Championship (APRC).

At the season opener in New Zealand last month, Finland's Lappi took a brilliant debut APRC win over two tough days of competition.

The Race Torque-prepared Team MRF Skoda Fabia S2000s were the class of the field, with Indian driver, Gill, finishing a clear second to set up the team's championship assault perfectly.

On paper, another 1-2 result could be on the cards for Team MRF, but changes to this year's Rally New Caledonia course will make finishing the event a real challenge on stages that are likely to be rough and rugged.

The three different special stages will be used six times, with three passes in each direction for a total of 241 Kms. It will be a huge challenge, and one that could favour Gill, given his experience of the New Caledonian conditions.

"We won the rally in 2012 and I am looking to repeating that feat. However, all but one of the stages in New Caledonia are new this year.

"New Caledonia is a very unique rally, as the conditions can change at any time. For example, it can start to rain while the sun is still shining. If this happens, it can become incredibly slippery," said Gill, fresh from an authoritative win at home in the Rally of Maharashtra last weekend.

Team MRF boss, Lane Heenan, knows that victory in New Caledonia won't come easy, and that reliability of the team's Skoda Fabia S2000s will play a critical role in ensuring the team maintains their championship lead.

"With the stages being used multiple times, we expect the roads to cut up quite badly, which means the strength of the car will be the key.

"We're confident that in the Skoda we have the best car for the job, and that we can come away from this weekend with another victory," said Heenan.

With the absence of the Proton factory team so far this season, Team MRF's Skodas will see their toughest competition come from Australian driver, Matt Van Tuinen, in a Subaru Impreza.

Fellow Australians Simon Knowles and Bruce Fullerton and New Zealand veteran, Brian Green, all in Mitsubishis, will also be pushing hard.

After a ceremonial start in Noumea's city centre, the rally will run on Saturday and Sunday, with the longest stage being the 17.14 Kms Shell Paita.