Her coach, Craig Palmer, told the Otago Daily Times from Pruskow last night there was snow on the ground and the track would be slow.
"I'm not prepared to predict the time, but if Ali comes close to her Invercargill time it will be a better performance," he said.
Shanks (26) almost broke the 3min 30sec barrier when she won the New Zealand title in a record time of 3:30.543 in Invercargill earlier this month.
It was her fastest time for the event and beat the 3:30.685 she recorded at the Beijing World Cup.
Palmer had not yet seen the final starting list but knows it will be a strong field.
"Ali will be racing against the clock and not against her opponents," he said.
"Her training is going well and I'm confident she will perform up to her potential."
Shanks, who will ride her specialist 3000m individual pursuit tomorrow morning, is confident of reaching her target.
Since switching from netball to cycling four years ago, she has become the wondergirl of New Zealand cycling, finishing fourth at the Beijing Olympics last year and winning a World Cup event in the same city in January.
"Every time she steps on to the track Ali seems to ride faster and is now ready to challenge the best in the world," Palmer said.
Shanks will race her heat at 3am tomorrow (NZ time) and the final at 8.30am.
Shanks and fellow Beijing World Cup gold medallist Jesse Sergent, who will race the men's individual pursuits, are New Zealand's best podium prospects.
Shanks will be joined by newcomers Kaytee Boyd, rowing convert Jaime Nielsen and two-time world junior medallist Lauren Ellis in the women's team pursuit, a new event on the world calendar.
Chances in the pursuit are difficult to gauge, with Boyd and Nielsen competing for the first time, having taken up track racing only three months ago.
Sergent has emerged as a shining prospect, clocking the fastest time by a New Zealander of 4min 17.961sec at the Beijing World Cup - faster than the Olympic silver medal-winning time of Hayden Roulston.
The 12-strong team is looking for continued international improvement in Pruskow, to build on its successes at the Olympics and the World Cup.
"The championships are another stepping stone for the track programme towards next year's Commonwealth Games, the 2012 London Olympics and beyond," BikeNZ high performance director Mark Elliott said.
Six of the team have won medals at world junior level and are looking to make their mark at senior level.
Sergent will be joined by fellow Beijing Olympic bronze medal squad members Sam Bewley, Marc Ryan, Wes Gough and Peter Latham for the men's team pursuit.
Christchurch's Hayden Godfrey will be defending his world omnium title and could also be a prospect in the scratch race.
Ellis, who won individual pursuit medals at the world junior championships in 2006 and 2007, will compete in the women's scratch and points races, while sprinters Eddie Dawkins (Invercargill) and Simon Van Velthooven (Palmerston North) step up in the sprints, keirin and 1km time trial.
