After opening the season at Rally Istanbul, the contenders of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge's 2008 championship will meet again next week for the second round at Rally Portugal from 8-10 May.

Ahead of the Portuguese event, French driver Brice Tirabassi shares his opinions.

What are your objectives for this rally? Do you think you can win Rally Portugal?

"We alway shave the ambition of doing our best. It's true however that in Portugal the field looks quite good, so it will be very difficult to compete amongst the front runners. We saw in Turkey that when everything goes well, we can maintain pace with the best... So, we'll do our best. I think Portugal is slower than Turkey and a bit better for us, we won't need as much knowledge (of the routes). All the IRC drivers did not run there last year so I think that's an advantage."

What do you know of Rally Portugal?

"Nothing at all! I only know images from the time when my father ran it, and he told me that there were many spectators on the roads and that it was a rally with a super atmosphere, so we'll be discovering that!"

Armindo Araujo, Miguel Campos and Bruno Maglhaes: do you know these drivers? Do you think they could win this rally ahead of the IRC drivers?

"I think that, as they are local drivers, they will be very fast. All three have demonstrated on several occasions that they are very quick, and not only at home, so why not. There will be resistance from the IRC drivers for sure, but I think they are best-placed to be front runners on this rally."

If not you, who has the best chances of winning this rally in your opinion?

"Who can win? That's difficult to say! Many things can come into play: punctures, failures, anything can happen! The most regular drivers have their chances: Alen, Vouilloz... or even others can win. Today, I can't really say who will win."

What assessment did you make following the rally in Turkey? Have you made any modifications ahead of Portugal?

"I think that at Istanbul, we had a bit of bad luck. Furthermore, we committed the error of not bringing along two spare tyres; we hadn't even touched the subject during testing. Set-up wise, we had a bit too much drift in the fast sectors. We wanted to correct that for the Sunday, but we didn't run. For Portugal, we adapted our set-up. In regards to the engine, we won't touch anthing. Of course, it will be up to us to find our pace in this slightly slower rally."

The Rally Portugal entry list is impressive...

"For sure, seeing such an entry list is a real pleasure, it proves that we haven't chosen the wrong championship! I think that anyone who signs good times within such a field will necessarily stand out... The competition will be stiff. For the public, for the teams, for the promotion of the IRC, it's really super. Having 25 or 26 known names on the list, that's something you don't find in the WRC anymore, so it's pretty good!"