GUY Wilks believes fortune will favour the brave when it comes to the second round of this years Intercontinental Rally Challenge.

Peugeot UK driver Wilks, from Darlington, is in Gran Canaria for the Rally Islas Canarias which begins on Thursday.

Wilks and co-driver, Phil Pugh, are aiming to improve on their third place finish in the opening round in Monte Carlo.

Since that event they have spent their time testing and improving their Peugeot 207 S2000 in readiness for the fast mountain roads.

"The stages are very fast, you dont always think of the Canaries as being a mountainous landscape, they go uphill and downhill very quickly, they are very smooth, very nice and require you to be brave if you want to be fast," said Wilks.

Wilks, with new main sponsor Clarion on board, will be one of the favourites to stand atop the podium when the rally ends on Saturday.

"Last year, this rally was new to me but it didn't take me long to settle in, he said. "This time round, though, I won't be able to profit too much from that experience because the route has changed significantly.

"That said, the lie of the land will be the same, you need to refrain from cutting corners and your lines have to be absolutely perfect. I think good pace during the night-time stages will be important to win this rally."

Follow Guy Wilks in the Rally Islas Canarias via the team's Twitter link www.twitter.com/PeugeotNews.