McRae to undergo surgery
Colin McRae will have an operation on Monday (October 9) to reset the cheek bones he broke in his 120kph smash during the Tour de Corse last weekend - and it will be some time before a decision is made as to whether the Scot will compete on the next round of the world championship, the San Remo Rally in a fortnight
Earlier reports had claimed McRae would have the operation on Friday, but specialists at Edinburgh's Murrayfield Hospital felt that the 32-year-old needed more time for the swelling in his face to go down and therefore scheduled the operation for the beginning of next week.
McRae is said to be anxious to compete in San Remo as his main title rivals Marcus Gronholm and Richard Burns failed to take advantage of his retirement in the Tour de Corse and just four points now separate the top three in the championship.
"When Colin heard the result [of the Tour de Corse] he felt a lot better and was eager to drive on San Remo," said McRae's father and manager Jimmy, himself a five-time British Rally champion. "If everything goes alright with the operation, I think he'll be there," he told The Independent newspaper.
"He looks as if he's been 10 rounds with Mike Tyson. But he shouldn't have any discomfort in the car from the cheek and his vision is OK. There may be slight damage to the eye socket."
Following McRae's smash, the Ford team met with the FIA to discuss driver safety in rallies. McRae's team mate Carlos Sainz had already said on Sunday that WRC events should have a permanent medical team as in Formula 1.
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