This weekend's fifth round of the FIA World Rally Championship will cover new territory for the world's best rally teams as they head to Rally Jordan for the very first time.

A WRC event hasn't been run in a Middle Eastern country since the 1970s but, as a sport, rallying is very popular. The Jordan Rally is a well-established event, having been a round of the Middle Eastern Rally Championship since the 1980s. Media reports show the country has caught a dose of WRC fever following the investment of over ten million US dollars to bring the WRC to Jordan, an initiative of the current King Abdullah II's brother, HRH Prince Feisel.

Taking place from 25 to 27 April, Rally Jordan is hosted 50 kilometres south of Jordan's capital city, Amman, near the Dead Sea with rally headquarters and service park located on the lowest point on earth 427 metres below sea level.

The event features an unusually wide range of altitude, not far short of the range experienced in Turkey and Monte Carlo. Covering 359 kilometres of hard-based sandy, gravel roads around the Dead Sea and Jordan Valley areas, the highest stage will not go much above 1000 metres but most of the stages are below sea level.

The hard compound Pirelli Scorpion tyres used by all teams are expected to provide plenty of grip, important as the first few cars may encounter patches of loose sand on the road surface and temperatures expected to peak at 40 degrees Celsius.

Now leading the WRC after winning his third rally of the year in Argentina, Frenchman Sébastien Loeb will start first on the road. The defending champion predicts this position will reduce his performance.

"We don't know much about the Jordan Rally, so I will be on my guard a little bit," says Loeb. "It doesn't appear to be too tough on the cars, but running first on the road will be a handicap. I am told there are similarities with Mexico, and the Citroen C4 WRC was competitive there, so that's very encouraging.

"Our objective will be to win with a view to increasing our lead in the Drivers' championship and enabling Citroën to stay in the fight for top spot in the Manufacturers' standings. If Daniel (Elena) and I can pull that off, it will be our 40th WRC win. That's not something I'm particularly obsessed about, but it would make a nice, round figure!"

Second in the standings, five points adrift, Ford's Mikko Hirvonen says the style of road could well suit his style of driving: "The roads look smooth and it seems as though the organisers have done a good job in preparing them. They look fast and flowing, like Finland but without the jumps, so if that's the case they should be good for me."

With twelve manufacturer entries contesting the event, it also qualifies as a round of the FIA Junior World Rally Championship, currently led by Frenchman Sébastien Ogier.

New Zealand's Morrie Chandler will observe the debut event in his role as the President of the FIA World Rally Championship Commission.

2008 World Rally Championship for Drivers

Points after four rounds                                           

1.  S Loeb                    (Citroen)          30                  

2.  M Hirvonen              (Ford)              25                 

3.  C Atkinson             (Subaru)          22                 

4.  J-M Latvala            (Ford)              16                  

5.  G Galli                    (Ford)              11                  

6.  D Sordo                  (Citroen)          9

2008 World Rally Championship for Manufacturers

Points after four rounds                                           

1.  BP Ford Abu Dhabi           44
2.  Citroen Total                      41
3.  Subaru                                33
4.  Stobart VK M-Sport           22
5.  Munchi's Ford                   10
6.  Suzuki                                 6