McRae: Fitness will be the key.

Colin McRae has been told to rest completely in the run-up to next weekend's Rally Australia, lest he should cause further damage to his cheek injury.

The Scot, who soldiered on to take a vital point on the San Remo round, was hoping to be able to undertake a light training programme leading up to the penultimate event of a closely contested championship, but has been ordered to rest by the doctors who operated on the facial injury suffered in Corsica.

With the fractured cheekbone coming perilously close to damaging his left eye, the medics are reluctant to let McRae do anything that may cause the fine balance between being able to compete and not to be disturbed. Even the slightest amount of fitness training may cause the eye socket to become infected or the cheekbone to re-fracture, injuries that could sideline the Scot well into next year.

Although doctors are sceptical about his return to action, they have relented sufficiently to allow McRae to contest the final three events of the year, something that keeps him in with a chance of lifting a second world crown. The Ford pilot knows, however, that he needs to win in Australia to have any real hope of overhauling series leader Marcus Gronholm, whom he trails by six points, and this is where his lack of fitness may take its toll.

McRae used an oxygen tent both before his return in San Remo, and on the Italian event itself, and was amazed by the amount of difference it made to his stamina levels. He will take it down under with him as he prepares for the Telstra-backed event, and is considering using a similar system as part of his regular rally preparations in future.