Motorsport: Who to watch in the world of gravel travel

Sebastien Loeb

Age: 36

Co-driver: Daniel Elena

Car: Citroen

Home country: France

Shakedown: Six consecutive WRC drivers' titles 2004-2009; 57 WRC victories; won Rally New Zealand 2005 and 2008.

Loeb clinched the title in his second full year (2004) with a record-matching six wins.

In his third year he broke all records with 10 wins, including six in a row.

In 2006 Loeb secured a third consecutive title without even contesting the last four rounds after breaking his shoulder falling off a mountain bike.

In 2008 he broke his own record for wins in one season with 11.

Mikko Hirvonen

Age: 29

Co-driver: Jarmo Lehtinen

Car: Ford Focus

Home country: Finland

Shakedown: Debuted in WRC in Finland in 2002, 12 WRC victories - last one was in Sweden this year.

Came back into the race for the championship last year despite an engine-related retirement on the fifth round in Argentina when Loeb opened up a 20-point lead.

Hirvonen then had a run of four outright wins. The last race in Wales was winner-takes-all which saw him lose the title by a point.

Jari-Matti Latvala

Age: 25

Co-driver: Miikka Anttila

Car: Ford Focus

Home country: Finland

Shakedown: Two WRC victories; won 2006 production class in New Zealand.

Started driving when he was eight. In 2008 was promoted to the factory Ford team, as No 2 driver to Hirvonen.

Latvala won the second round - Rally Sweden - and at 22 became the youngest winner in WRC history.

A win looked all but certain in last year's Rally New Zealand until his penultimate stage retirement.

Latvala remains one of the few drivers who can truly worry Sebastien Loeb, but you have to have a tow-truck on stand-by.

Petter Solberg

Age: 35

Co-driver: Phil Mills

Car: Citroen (as part of his private team)

Home country: Norway

Shakedown: 2003 world champion and runner-up in 2004-2005; 13 WRC victories; won Rally New Zealand in 2004.

Easily the most experienced top-level driver in the 2010 WRC with 149 starts. He set up his own privateer team last year after Subaru pulled out in 2008.

Hayden Paddon

Age: 23

Co-driver: John Kennard

Car: Mitsubishi Lancer

Home country: New Zealand

Shakedown: 2008-2009 New Zealand rally champion; entered for full production class WRC campaign.

NZ's driver of the moment is aiming to step onto the podium in the production class at home.

He recently returned from Rally Turkey after contesting his first event as a Pirelli Star Driver.

That involves being one of five drivers aged 27 or younger around the world who are funded to make the leap from their regional championships to the world stage.