Our executive editor Marty Padgett is traipsing about the English countryside today, behind the wheel of the Subaru BRZ and on the grounds of the Goodwood Revival--but that's not the only significant motorsports happening going on in the U.K. this week. WRC is back for the Wales Rally Great Britain.

That, usually, means mud. Why mud? Because rally.

Or perhaps it's because of the typically rainy winters in the Welsh forests. But this year, the rally is making its way to the western portions of the isle in the summer, and conditions are expected to be much drier and firmer than in the past.

In this video, you'll see Ford's WRC team testing as they prepare for the different surface, as they work within the regulations on tire compounds and against the unpredictable weather. It's dry now, but it could well be a mud bath by the weekend.

To keep up to date on the team's progress (since we Americans are still without any live or even remotely current television coverage of the WRC), follow along at Ford WRC's Facebook page.