We're one step closer now to the beginning of the 2008 Rally New Zealand. This is my first ever WRC event in person, and so I'm excited enough o want to be present for every second of the cars running. Today the cars all ran from 8AM-12PM for shakedown. WRC, then PWRC, and finally the front-wheel drive JWRC cars. They're all amazing vehicles.

Seeing the cars on TV and DVD footage is nice and all, but to see and hear one of these cars in person is completely different. The anti-lag pops and backfires are much more amplified in person; some of the blasts will throw you off your feet. The sound of each of the cars is amazing as well. Solberg seemed to be having some setup issues, during service he changed out his rear end and transmission. Ken Block, the sole US entered driver, put his PWRC car through its paces today. I got the chance to go along for a ride, and the shakedown course was brutal. The ruts and ditches were huge and many cars ran a stiff setup because the actual stage tomorrow will be softer than the shakedown. Some cars did not take part in the shakedown today for the sole reason that they didn't want to risk the damage.

Rally New Zealand starts tomorrow and we'll see how the cars run through the first day of competition.