Burns' fading title hopes boosted by Argentina

The six points earned by the Subaru ace put him on a total of 10 - joint third in the standings with McRae and Peugeot's Harri Rovanpera. Championship leader Tommi Makinen has 27, with Carlos Sainz second on 22.

Burns had targeted victory in Argentina as an essential requirement, but with nine rallies still to run and 10 points available for a win on each one, the Englishman believes he is still in with a shout.

"Ultimately, second puts me in a similar points position to Colin," he said. "Like him, I have to look to the next few rallies for results and then see where we are.

"It's disappointing not to have won, but I did everything I could. At least we made a fight of it, which is more than we've done before this season. We came here needing a top result to stand any chance in the championship and we've done that.

"It's a good result for the team," he added, "because it shows we've made some progress."

Before Argentina, Burns said he needed three straight wins to put himself back in the title driving seat, and with the next three events potentially suiting Subaru, he should be a factor in all three. Cyprus, Acropolis and Safari are the three roughest events on the calendar and Burns is already a double Safari victor.