Â
The two-car team of Michael Guest / David Green and Darren Windus / Jon Mortimer, head into the event with two refreshed Ford Fiesta S2000 rally cars.
Â
The Rally South Australia is renowned as a favourite of the drivers, with a mixture of challenging forest stages and smoother shire roads.
Â
On both types of roads the potential of the Fiesta is sure to shine.
Â
"The South Australian event is a great rally," said Michael Guest.
Â
"As a driver you need to be on it from the word go. It's an event that rewards good driving and we believe the Fiesta is a package that is well suited to this event
Â
"We have proved that the Fiesta S2000 has the potential. Rallying is a hard sport on the car, but we are sure that with a reliable run in SA we will be up towards the front."
Â
Over the past six years the Rally SA has been one of the biggest events in the NEC Australian Rally Championship, with thousands of people flocking to the forests throughout the Barossa Valley.
Â
"It's a rally where they have been able to cater for spectators without taking away the spectacle," said Windus.
Â
"We have some new stages in Angaston on the Friday and Saturday evenings, plus the ever popular Forties Super Site that has always been a great place for fans.
Â
"We feel that the sight and sound of the Fiestas will prove a big hit and we aim to bring them home near the top of the order."
Â
Since the last round in Canberra, the Pirtek Rally Team crew have been working on further improving reliability of the Fiestas.
Â
"It's been two months since the last event and that's really allowed us to have a good look at the Fiestas," said Chief Engineer Marcus Clarke.
Â
"We have had some issues with the power steering, but we are confident that those issues have now been solved.
Â
"Reliability remains our goal at this stage. It must be remembered that we are the only Ford team in the world to be campaigning the Super 2000 Fiesta.
Â
"We feel very confident of a good strong and reliable run. If we have that, I'm sure we could be eyeing a podium finish."
Â
The Pirtek Rally Team will conduct pre-event testing on Tuesday 7 August near Mount Pleasant before getting into the rally proper on Friday 10 August at Angaston.
Â
The Rally South Australia includes two heats of competition covering 22 timed stages totaling just over 188 competitive kilometers.