Class winners on last year's Wales Rally GB, Darren Jones and Paul Burley from Bournemouth will be aiming to repeat their success of 12 months ago when they take on the world's best on next week's final round of the 2008 World Rally Championship.

In 2006, the pairing finished last by some distance - 20 minutes - but, unlike many of the leading crews, completed the three-day event and collected the silverware for being their only class finishers.

Reaching the finish in Cardiff next Sunday evening will again guarantee them class success as they are the only entry in their A5 category.

Once again, the duo will be driving a Skoda Felicia, but this time a car which Jones has built-up from scratch.

He bought the 1997 Felicia for £40 from its previous owner in Boscombe, originally intending only to use the gearbox.

"But as the shell was mint, I decided I'd build a car around it," he explained.

With the car stripped out, Jones has since fitted a Custom Cages weld-in roll cage, Bilstein suspension, installed a Group A specification 1400cc engine (previously used by works driver Roman Kresta), uprated the brakes and furnished it with the required safety features (seats, sump guards, fire extinguishers).

The reason he bought the car was for the close ratio straight cut gearbox, but this proved constant trouble so he reverted to a standard transmission with a Limited Skip Differential.

"Last year's car was sold to pay for the build of this year's. If I still had it, I would probably have given up a long time ago and just used the old one," said Jones.

He and Burley are seeded last at 132 for this year's Wales Rally GB which will decide the 2008 World Rally Championship.

DUO'S VALENCIA DATE

Dorset rivals Jonathan Legris and Daniel McKenzie will be racing wheel to wheel with the cream of the world's top young drivers in the Formula BMW World finals in Valencia this weekend.

Legris from Bournemouth, driving for Motaworld, and McKenzie from Poole, in the Fortec team, are among 12 drivers from the British Series on the 35-strong starting grid in Spain.

All are targeting the top prize - a drive in a BMW Sauber Formula One car. A total of 19 nationalities will be represented at the two-day meeting.