McRae: I'll be back!

Colin McRae has promised to bounce back from his season-ending shunt on the Rally of Great Britain to become Britain's only two-time world champion in 2002.

Having had to relinquish his claim to being the country's only WRC titleist following rival Richard Burns' win in Wales on the weekend, McRae has vowed that he will return next season to take the crown for Ford and move himself out of the tie.

The Scot crashed on the first real day of competition after Thursday night's superspecial in Cardiff, rolling his car beyond repair on SS4 at Rhondda. Although both McRae and co-driver Nicky Grist were largely unhurt in the incident, neither hung around to watch the title decided in Burns' favour.

Speaking through an M-Sport spokesman from his family home in Scotland, however, McRae congratulated the man at whom he had fired psychological jibes all season, before vowing to replace him as champion in 2002.

"Congratulations to Richard," he said, "He deserves the title this year - but we will be back next year, stronger, better, and more determined to take it back."

Burns told Reuters that he had yet to receive personal congratulations from McRae, but revealed that the Scot had admitted before the rally that whoever won the title would have deserved it in a year that closed with four drivers still in with a shout, and outgoing champion Marcus Gronholm winning each of the final two rounds.