Photos by: SWRT.com

Like good boy scouts, Petter Solberg and Phil Mills like being prepared. That’s why Subaru’s dedicated duo flew from the most recent WRC event in Argentina straight to Amman to take part in the recce for the Jordan Rally.

Jordan isn’t part of this year’s WRC schedule, but it will be in 2008, so Petter and Phil were keen to drive the stages and make pace notes in order to gain some prior knowledge of the timed tests. That kind of commitment could give them a crucial advantage.

After landing in Amman on Tuesday afternoon, the Subaru World Rally Team crew spent Wednesday and Thursday driving the 18 special stages in the Mount Nebo and Dead Sea areas. They came away impressed with what they found.

“The rally is very well organised,” said Petter. “The stages are absolutely fantastic, and present a tough challenge. The interesting thing is that the stages are hand-made - since last year’s rally they have made roads everywhere.

“The conditions were really good. I’m very happy that Phil and I went down to the recce. I think both of us will have an advantage over the other drivers when we go to Jordan next year, that’s for sure.

For co-driver Phil, the trip re-ignited some old memories: he used to compete in the Middle East Rally Championship back in the 1990s, navigating for the then HRH Prince Abdullah Bin Al-Hussein of Jordan.

So, while the WRC’s inaugural visit to Jordan will be trip into the unknown for many drivers, Petter and Phil will be one step ahead of the competition thanks to this week’s whistle-stop tour.