McRae poised to take top spot

On Sunday he will start the Catalunya Rally aiming for the hat trick of wins that will sweep him past triple World Champion Tommi Makinen into the lead of this year's championship.

A few years ago the once wild man of rallying would have felt perfectly at home in the rally base of Lloret de Mar, a Mediterranean holiday resort where karaoke bars abound and where cuisine means English breakfasts and 'traditional' fish and chips.

But the party animal has been honed into one of the most complete drivers in the business and, even though this is the Ford's first full asphalt rally of the year, McRae lines up as a firm favourite for victory.

"We tested in the area earlier this month and concentrated on getting the car set up properly. Our times compared favourably with those of last year's event so it's looking positive," he said.

The Ford team has slashed some 40kgs (around half the excess weight) from the Focus for this event and that should keep the car at the sharp end of the pack. "We've fitted magnesium wheel rims, used lighter hoses and routed them more economically and fitted lighter, but equally strong, underbody protection," explained team boss Malcolm Wilson.

McRae has won in Spain before but his replacement at Subaru, Richard Burns, has so far struggled this season to get a firm grip on the Impreza.

Subaru is without a win since last July but Burns believes that if he can match the right tyres to the varying road surfaces he will face this week, he can end that drought.

"There's a lot of work to do but we think we've found the right solution," he said.

Insiders believe that any one of nine drivers could win the event. Local hero Carlos Sainz will be the crowd's favourite in his Toyota while they would also be delighted to see SEAT take its first ever championship victory.

Makinen will be eager to end his recent slump in form while his Mitsubishi team mate, Freddy Loix, is making his first appearance at the wheel since cheating death in a high-speed flip during February's Safari Rally.