Wandsworth co-driver Julian Wilkinson and driver Alan Cookson will kick-off their season with this Saturday's Wyedean Forest Rally.

Cookson, from Cornwall, and Wilkinson will contest the 45-mile Forest of Dean-based gravel event in their new SparCornwall.com, SparDevon.com and Kumho Tyres-supported Subaru Impreza World Rally Car (WRC) after making the step-up from a Group N-spec Impreza, in which they competed the MSA National Gravel Rally Championship in last season.

The crew have been out in the 1998 Impreza WRC before, winning last year's Smeatharpe Stages Rally before retiring with a clutch problem in November's Tempest Rally whilst lying third overall.

They will be contesting the MSA National Gravel Championship for a second time this year with the opening round the Bournemouth-based Rallye Sunseeker on February 22-23 and are using this weekend's event as a shakedown.

"We're using the Wyedean as more of a test ahead of the Sunseeker to get used to the car again as we've not been out in it since November," Cookson said.

"The aim is to get a finish on the Wyedean. I've never done it before, I've spectated on it once and I've always wanted to do it so now's our chance and it's probably one of the most local events we will get to do this year.

"We want to get 45 miles under our belts and get match fit for the first round of the MSA National Gravel Championship. Hopefully we won't pick up any damage, as there's only two weeks in between to get it repaired.

"I'd like to thank Steve Furzeland for his help with preparing and running the car. I think without him, I would have probably never made the step up to a WRC."

Cookson and Wilkinson finished third overall in the 2007 Subaru Trophy in the MSA National Gravel Championship in their N10 Impreza and will be hoping to emulate their success in this year's series in their Subaru WRC.

The car has an interesting history as it was the car that Francois Delecour campaigned on five World Rally Championship rounds in the 1998/99 season, which included Rally GB. It also featured in one of the early Colin McRae computer games, as well as being one of the early test cars that Prodrive ran.

The pair start at car number 20 on the Wyedean Forest Rally in their Subaru WRC Spares-prepared Impreza.