The top three finishers in Volkswagen's UK rally championship go up against their counterparts from all over Europe next Saturday .

Twenty Polo drivers, including Albourne's Clive Wheeler, are converging on the Spanish island of Gran Canaria for the world finals.

The leading Polo finisher on the Rally de Maspalomas will land a works drive in the all-new Polo Super 1600 on the German round of the 2003 World Rally Championship.

The twisty mountain roads of Gran Canaria will offer a very different challenge from the sort of rallying conditions that UK Polo champion Wheeler and his co-driver, Ken Bartram (Hurstpierpoint), are used to, but they are determined to make a good account of themselves.

Wheeler said: "It's going to be very difficult to beat the locals but we'll give it our best shot.

"We're looking on the rally as a nice end-of-season bonus and if we do well we'll be delighted.

"If not, then we'll still enjoy ourselves."