McRae resigned to testing role for 2003

With few works opportunities available, the Scot's only outings look set to come from a limited number of events Mitsubishi will tackle in preparation for a full-time return in 2004. The first of these is likely to be the Rally of Turkey in February.

"I know I can jump into a car and go as quickly as I've ever done," McRae told WRC.com, "so it's incredibly frustrating not to be doing anything. I've got permission to take other drives as well - it's something that would benefit Mitsubishi as much as me - but so far there's nothing.

"My main priority is testing this year, but I'd consider anything else that came along. The problem is that in the current climate not many people are running third cars. There's no point in me going out and hiring a car, as the championship's so competitive these days that unless you have the best possible equipment, there's no point. You're nowhere."

There are few works opportunities available for the season, with Peugeot, Citroen and Ford already having filled all their seats for the year. Subaru has yet to rule out running a third car on selected rallies and Hyundai could also field an extra entry, provided it can secure extra funding.