DANIEL Barritt will be looking to turn up the heat on his rivals in Cyprus this weekend.

The Cyprus Rally - the sixth stage - is where the competition for this year's FIA Production World Rally Championship really hots up.

Despite the onset of autumn, temperatures on the Mediterranean island can still move up to almost 30 degrees.

And that's just one potential element of the challenge facing the fastest Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution drivers in the world.

But co-driver Barritt (left), from Hapton, and his Japanese driver Fumio Nutahara are more than ready for what lies ahead of them on at the Limassol-based event.

The pair arrive in Cyprus on a high, having clinched their second Production victory for Mitsubishi in only three outings this season.

They currently hold second place in the all-Group N championship standings and are hoping to close the gap further on number one man, Nasser Al-Attiyah.

Because of the way the FIA Production WRC is structured, competing crews select their favoured six rallies from eight. Barritt has missed his two events already this season, meaning he will tackle Cyprus and then the closing two rounds in Australia and New Zealand.

He started his campaign in the best possible fashion, with a dominant win on the Monte Carlo Rally. He backed up his early victory with a repeat on his home P-WRC round in Japan earlier this month.

Driver Nutahara said: "I think we can challenge for victory in Cyprus. I really want to win the PWRC title, which is why I am missing a round of the Japanese series which runs at the same time."