Positive test for Brendan ahead of ARC opener

After a positive test session yesterday, Brendan and Rhianon have completed their reconnaissance of the National Capital Rally today.

The NatCap Rally is round one of the 2014 Australian Rally Championship (ARC) and will be held in the forests around Canberra this weekend.

Wednesday's test of the RallySchool.com.au Mazda2 consisted of multiple runs of a 2.5km loop on roads similar to those to be used in the rally. Brendan was very happy with the handling of the Mazda2 and is looking forward to the real action come Saturday.

This year's NatCap Rally will use many of the same stages from last year's event with minor changes to some of the stages, however according to Brendan, the roads are a lot smoother this year as there hasn't been a lot of rain in the lead up to the event.

The Canberra roads are known to have quite a loose surface with a crown on the road and, together with the expected dusty conditions, traction and tyre wear will be a key consideration for the weekend.

The rally officially kicks off tomorrow (Friday) morning with the Power Stage where crews each do one qualifying run of the stage. The five drivers recording the fastest time, and one wildcard entry, will then drive the stage again with the winner being awarded one bonus point.

Saturday's action consists of eight stages (four stages each run twice), followed by a further seven stages (three of which will be run twice) on Sunday, before the champagne will be sprayed.

Browse photos from the National Capital Rally in Brendan's photo gallery.

Follow Brendan's progress over the weekend on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and his website.