McRae to steer clear of breakdown

Colin Mcrae goes into the Tour of Corsica rally today hoping that his Ford Focus continues to perform reliably to keep him in the world title race.

Colin Mcrae goes into the Tour of Corsica rally today hoping that his Ford Focus continues to perform reliably to keep him in the world title race.

Seven points separate the leading four drivers, with the Finn Marcus Gronholm two ahead of Scotland's McRae, who is in the best form of the quartet with a win and three runners-up finishes in his last four outings.

The 32-year-old said the reliability of his Ford has been a major bonus after a slow start to the season. "Every one of the four events that are left will be crucial," he said. "Reliability will be a deciding factor but nobody knows how Marcus will fare on this event. A lot will depend on how he goes on asphalt in Corsica and the next event in San Remo."

The first and third legs of the 18-stage, 1,126-kilometre event will follow an identical route near the Ajaccio rally base. Saturday's 13-hour middle leg heads north around Corte.