McRae returns to WRC

Colin McRae will return to the Wales Rally GB next month and be joined by his former co-driver Nicky Grist as part of the Skoda team.

The 37-year-old Scot – who in 1995 became Britain’s first world rally champion - quit the WRC at the end of 2003, and has since concentrated on endurance events such as the Paris-Dakar and also contested the Le Mans 24-hour race.

But McRae has agreed to try and win Britain’s round of the World Championship for the fourth time – after victories in 1994, 1995 and 1997 – as team-mate to Skoda’s Armin Schwarz, who interrupted McRae’s run of success in 1996 when the event was temporarily downgraded.

Grist – who was McRae’s full-time navigator from 1997-2002 – will again sit alongside him in the rally, which begins and ends in Cardiff, running from September 15 to 18.

“Rally GB is obviously very special to me, so I’m very much looking forward to competing on my home event and giving the fans something to cheer,” said McRae, a veteran of 143 World Championship rallies and 25 victories.

“This is an opportunity for me to utilise my experience to help the Skoda Motorsport World Rally Team develop the Fabia WRC 05 in a positive way for the future.

“Although I haven’t competed in a world rally car since 2003, the team have put together an extensive testing programme which will give me the opportunity to evaluate the Fabia and have it set up to my liking.

“It will also allow myself and Nicky to get ourselves up to speed before the event itself.”

Skoda team boss Joan Sureda said: “I’m very happy that we have the chance to bring Colin back to the WRC on this event because we know he was keen to return to the championship.

“He has a lot of experience on this rally which we will find very useful for our future development.

“I’m sure the fans will be as excited about Colin’s appearance as we are.”