The Observer

It sounds callous, but Sebastien Loeb breaking his arm was great news for the World Rally Championship.

No, of course I don't wish harm to the most successful rally driver ever. I hope the injury's not too painful, Sebastien, and I look forward to your rapid return to the WRC special stages.

But still, the Frenchman's fall from his mountain bike has been, er, a shot in the arm for the sport (sorry).

Why? Well, from its position on the verge of a breakthrough to the sporting mainstream, rallying has regressed to its former minority interest status. That's not Loeb's fault ­ but his phenomenal success that deserves comparison with Michael Schumacher's sure hasn't helped.

He and Citroen have won 28 world rallies between the summer of 2002 and today. Carlos Sainz's previous win record of 26 was always going to be smashed by Loeb, and with potentially another 10 years still left in him, he could notch up a titles and victories tally that was once thought inconceivable. It's Incredible.

Sebastien Loeb wins the Rally Japan © LAT

But while he and Citroen deserve all our praise for their achievements, it is also true that they are breaking records during what should be considered a WRC year of crisis.

Although the manufacturer interest in rallying is back on the rise, the fact remains that Loeb's only true rival so far this year has been Marcus Gronholm and Ford. The only other factory team, Subaru, has slumped to a surprising and unprecedented level, leaving its 2003 world champion Petter Solberg a deeply frustrated man.

That's it for Loeb. There are promising newcomers such as Dani Sordo and Mikko Hirvonen who have broken through with Citroen and Ford respectively, while others such as Henning Solberg (Petter's brother) have made sporadic star turns.

But the wonderful strength in depth that the WRC enjoyed just a few short years ago has gone. It will grow again, certainly ­ but right now, it is desperately missed.

Even Gronholm has struggled to match the invincible Loeb over the course of the year, which is why the Frenchman holds a commanding 35-point lead with four rallies to go. But now Gronholm has a chance. If he can win in Turkey this weekend, and then again in Australia and New Zealand which isn't out of the question, Loeb will be forced to return from injury for Rally GB to make sure of his third world crown. A tense nail-biter in Wales would be just what we all want.

Suddenly, a championship that had lost all sign of life has been revived ­ and now there is another spicy boost to the run-in: Colin McRae is back.

The Scot only won a single world title during his career, and given his talent that is a poor return. But he was the biggest superstar in his sport during an era that boasted seriously big names such as Tommi Makinen, Sainz and Richard Burns.

As the figurehead of Sony Playstation's hugely popular rally driving game, McRae took his sport to a completely new audience. Young people with no real interest in motorsport were suddenly aware that rallying existed, and for the first time they could watch it on TV more than once a year. These were exciting times for a sport neglected for too long by the public at large.

McRae on his own cannot revive rallying and take it back to its previous heights. But he'll create a few headlines, and as the replacement for Loeb in the Kronos Xsara WRC, he might even give Gronholm a run for his money. He'll certainly be a distraction even if he doesn't have the pace for victory.

Colin McRae, Skoda, 2005 Rally Australia © LAT

McRae has admitted that a podium is his target in Turkey. That's realistic ­ and not out of the question.

Just this time last year McRae threatened to cause an upset on Rally Australia, driving a Skoda. That performance indicates he's still got it ­ even if the desire might not be quite as great as it was five-odd years ago.

ISC boss David Richards did all he could to get McRae back into a full-time WRC seat last winter following that Aussie performance, which came hot on the heels of a hero's return on Rally GB. Richards understands Colin's worth to the championship only too well. But with few competitive seats left, it was always unlikely that a berth would be found. A shame ­ it's been our loss.

Now he has a fantastic chance, with the best car and the best team.

There are some people who might be saying, why go for McRae? He's the past, he's over the hill. All rubbish. A Colin cameo will add drama, intrigue and a true charging legend to a world championship story that has lacked any real tension for the past six months.

So heal well, Sebastien. We all want to see you, the best rally driver of this (or perhaps any) generation, back in the car and back to your best.

But do us a favour ­ don't come back too soon.