Welsh rally ace Simon Hughes will pilot an ex-works Skoda Octavia World Rally Car in latest specification on next weekends Woodpecker Stages Rally (Sept 3rd) in Ludlow.  The 22 year old from Colwyn Bay will become the youngest Welshman to drive such a machine competitively, and Hughes is keen to make the most from the day in the ProSpeed Motorsport run car.Backed by Dunlop Tyres and Atlas Communications, Hughes is using the event to sample the turbo four wheel drive car, formerly used by Armin Schwarz in the World Rally Championship in 2003.  ProSpeed were keen to give Simon an outing in the car on gravel, and Simon will be using the highly specialised gravel event as a public 'test' as he gets to grips with the car for the first time.Hughes and co-driver Ieuan Thomas warmed up for the Woodpecker with a successful if frustrating outing on the Barum Rally in the Czech Republic, a round of the Skoda Fabia Rallye Cup.  Hughes was trading stage wins with rival Josef Sedlacek before a cruel driveshaft problem just 1km into a 30km stage meant Hughes lost a crippling seven minutes to the leaders.  With the problem resolved at service, Hughes and Thomas then hit back with a succession of fastest times to move back into a fine 3rd place by the end of the rally.Simon admits that swapping the 1.4 Fabia for the 'all singing and dancing' Octavia WRC is going to be quite a challenge:'It will be the first time I have driven a World Rally Car, so obviously I'm very much looking forward to getting to grips with the car.  I have some experience of 4wd and turbo cars from before, and I was able to win the Galloway Hills Rally outright in a Grp A Subaru Impreza, loaned to us by Atlas Communications boss Tom Hogan.  Fortunately Tom is helping us again for this rally and I'm hoping to get as much from the day as possible in terms of testing feedback and being able to get the most out of the car.  I'm also looking forward to trying the Dunlop tyres on gravel after using the tarmac versions on the Manx - as they were highly impressive.The Woodpecker is very much a 'local favourites' rally, so I'm expecting to see some fairly impressive stage times from the likes of Shaun Gardener and John Perrot, but our aim for the day is to build our pace steadily and try to understand what the car is doing and how we can change it to suit.  It should promise to be a very good day, and I am looking forward to working with ProSpeed Motorsport again'.The 44 stage mile Woodpecker Rally is one of the most popular in the country, based in the sleepy Shropshire market town of Ludlow.  The super smooth gravel stages are used just once a year, so Hughes will enjoy the best of road surfaces in the spectacular Octavia WRC.