McRae wary of gritty roads in battle to take second

Colin McRae is prepared to tread a rocky road as he aims for his third World Rally Championship victory in Australia.

The Scot is wary of the dusty gravel roads and – after a season interrupted by accidents – McRae knows it is vital that he avoids the all-too-close trees if he is to prepare for his home event in Great Britain, the season's last event, in style.

Marcus Gronholm has won the drivers' championship but McRae is embroiled in a tense battle for second, and the 1995 world champion is aiming to make his mark during his final two events for Ford, before moving to Citroen for 2003. "The Australian roads are similar to those in New Zealand, in that you can push to the limit without having to worry too much about large rocks," he said.

"The main differences between Australia and anywhere else are the road surface and the position of the trees. The roads have a hard base but are covered in millions of tiny stones which are slippery. This makes road position important because the early cars sweep the stones clear. "The lower your position the better and anywhere higher than eight or nine isn't good."

McRae will have to get used to a different co-driver in Australia after splitting from his regular partner, Nicky Grist. Derek Ringer – who guided McRae to the world title – now joins him before linking up full-time with Citroen next season.

Gronholm, who has wrapped up the drivers' title and the manufacturers' crown for Peugeot, said: "The fact that both championships have already been decided will modify my approach since I will have no obligation to score points."