The World Rally Championship got stunning news today from Richard Burns — he will miss the 2004 season due to a brain tumor. While Burns is expected to recover fully pending medical treatment, his doctors advised him to sit out the 2004 campaign. This leaves Subaru without their second driver next year, perhaps opening a door for Colin McRae to stay another year in the WRC since he lost his drive with Citroen. On such short notice, the only other potential driver who could take Burns spot is Toshiro Arai, who spent half of the 2001 season with the Subaru WRC team (where he notched a fourth place in Greece).

Posted on 17 November 2003