Burns and McRae set for new title battle

The champagne has barely been washed from his eyes but Richard Burns is back in business, beginning the defence of his world rally championship in the mountains of southern France this weekend.

Burns, who became the first Englishman to win the title, less than eight weeks ago, is effectively the standard-bearer in the sport's new campaign for the hearts, minds and eyes of a wider television audience.

The procession that marked the ceremonial start of the Monte Carlo Rally took place yesterday evening with the cars unleashed for the contest today and Burns will settle for a safe passage through what is probably the most unpredictable event of the 14-round championship. Ever-changing road conditions, from dry asphalt to snow and ice, make any stage a potential lottery.

The added complication for Burns is the need to acquaint himself with a new car and team. He has moved from Subaru to Peugeot – after the payment of around £5m in compensation to his former team – and may need time to get up to rally-winning speed. "I'll be happy just to score points,'' the champion said.

More familiar will be the opposition vying for the championship. Chief among them are likely to be his team-mate at Peugeot, Finland's Marcus Gronholm, Tommi Makinen, another Finn and former champion, who took his place at Subaru, and Scotland's Colin McRae, the Ford driver he beat into second place last season.

McRae is still smarting over the loss of that title. He led the championship going into the final round, of the Network Q Rally of Great Britain, and made a characteristically blistering start, only to roll out of the event on the first morning.

His co-driver, Nicky Grist, was said to be considering retiring, but the Welshman is again on board for what is a significant season in McRae's career. He is coveted by Citroën, who embark on a full championship programme next year, and if his fortunes do not improve this season, he and Ford may well part company.

Ford have endeavoured to enhance McRae's prospects by developing what they say is a lighter, faster Focus. It has an all-new electronics system and a revised dashboard display.

McRae said: "We've made improvements to the Focus in several areas, but because it is an evolution of the 2001 version we have the solid base of last year's car, which won three rallies, to build on. It means we don't have the unpredictable nature of a totally new car.''

However, versatility as well as performance is crucial to a rally challenger and McRae acknowledges that Burns and Gronholm have, in the 206, the car to beat. It has proved competitive on gravel and tarmac, while the Focus has been less effective on the firmer surface,

McRae, the champion in 1995, said: "There is no doubt that the Peugeot is very strong. In Richard and Marcus they also have two very good drivers. It's possible they will take wins and points off each other, but I'm not relying on that. We have to make sure we are capable of winning.''

Senior team personnel have expressed surprise and some dismay that David Richards, who set up the organisation responsible for the television coverage of the championship, decided to take charge of the BAR-Honda Formula One team at the end of last year. He argues that he has the structure and people in place to run the rally show. Its success in this country will, in any case, depend largely on the form of Burns and McRae, and their much-aired and documented rivalry will doubtless be encouraged to run and run.

The pair traded insults in the build-up to their home rally last November and McRae, already nursing his pride after that fateful crash, then had the unenviable task of congratulating Burns.

"It was hard to ring up Richard when he won the championship but it had to be done,'' McRae said. "I told him he'd done a good job and deserved it. But I also told him I was going to take it off him. That's what I'm going to try to do this year.''

McRae despises the Monte Carlo Rally, contending its capricious nature is unacceptable, yet he was leading until forced to retire on the final stage last year so his maiden victory on the event is not out of the question. "That would be my revenge on it,'' he said.

It would also be the ideal platform for another championship challenge.