McRae: Argentina must kick-start my title bid

The Ford ace has so far posted three non-finishes due to mechanical problems and finished out of the points on the Swedish Rally after digging himself out of a snowbank.

Mitsubishi's Tommi Makinen leads the WRC standings with 24 points, ahead of McRae's team mate Carlos Sainz, who has enjoyed superior reliability so far. Frustratingly for the Scot, his Monte Carlo Rally retirement came as he battled for the lead with Makinen, while his Catalunya and Portugal DNFs came at the expense of near-certain points finishes.

"If we have another retirement here, it'll be a complete disaster," McRae told Motorsport News. "We're hoping for better things. A win would be the only thing to rectify what's happened up until now. I like the rally and there's no reason we shouldn't be competitive."

Ford rally team boss Malcolm Wilson has vowed to give McRae equipment he can depend on for the rest of the season and the 1995 world champion has been quick to quash rumours that he is looking at an exit from the Blue Oval at the end of the season.

"The position is pretty straightforward," he said. "I've got a two-year contract and that's the way it is. We're all working towards the same goal and it doesn't help when folk start speculating."

McRae will test in Argentina for a single day this week, before embarking on the recce for the make-or-break event early next week. The rally is based on loose surfaces, but is still one of the fastest on the WRC calendar.