McRae sets sights on victory

Colin McRae has victory in his sights as he prepares for just his second assault on the epic Dakar Rally.

The former world champion has turned his hand to rally raid events after losing his world rally drive and has enjoyed success at his new discipline.

He won the Baja 500 in Portalegre earlier this year to take his first rally raid win and approaches the 9,000-kilometre Dakar Rally, which begins tomorrow, in a confident mood.

Nissan driver McRae begins his second Dakar tomorrow with a short super-special stage around the Spanish city of Barcelona before beginning the serious business of trekking down to the Senegalese capital over 16 days.

The Scotsman, who is co-driven by Tina Thorner, is convinced he can significantly improve on last year when serious problems left him 20th.

He said: “My target is hopefully a win. You’ve got to start an event looking for a win, there’s nothing worse than starting a rally hoping for a top five. I think the team and the car is capable of winning this year.

“The car is durable and has achieved a high level of finish in a short time. A top three finish is not an easy target but together with Tina I think we can do it.”

McRae knows he will have his work cut out to repeat his Baja victory, but he is pleased to begin the Dakar Rally on a roll.

He added: “I was very pleased with the win. It came at exactly the right time for the team, who have put in a lot of work in just eight months.

“It is very encouraging for the future, and undoubtedly important for the team spirit, which is already excellent. We still need to work on the car, but we are heading in the right direction. I am quite confident.

“On a personal note, I was also very pleased to have claimed my first win in cross-country rallies. The Baja, although it was relatively short, was far from easy.”

Reigning four-wheeled Dakar champion Stephane Peterhansel is not willing to let his crown slip without a fight though and he believes his Mitsubishi will be more competitive than ever this time around.

He said: “I’ve won six Dakars on motorbikes but I’m still motivated to take part in such a unique race.

“The next challenge may be to win six times in a car, although it is something difficult to achieve right now.

“This race needs special preparation and mentality. Mitsubishi give me all means to win and that is an enormous motivation for me.

“I don’t know whether I’ll be able to repeat the success achieved in motorbikes or not but I’m in the best place to give it a try.”

Peterhansel is not the only driver McRae has to worry about, with Joan Roma making the switch to four wheels with Mitsubishi after winning last season’s motorcycle event on a KTM.

NASCAR superstar Robby Gordon will make his Dakar debut for Nissan while Britain has two other representatives in the car class, with Huddersfield’s Mark Round campaigning a Land Rover and Hampshire’s Paul Green driving a Range Rover.