By Jon Murray RICHARD Burns believes this year's Network Q British Rally, which starts in Cheltenham on Sunday, will be like no other.

The Kidlington driver is expecting a titanic Battle of Britain showdown with Scot Colin McRae as he bids to win the crown for a second year running.

But Burns knows that, because the world championship title has already been won by flying Finn Tommi Makinen, everyone will have a different approach to what has become the UK's biggest annual sporting occasion.

"My tussle with Colin McRae will probably be the biggest battle of the event," said Richard, as he took a break from testing his Banbury-built Prodrive Subaru Impreza with some specialised fitness work at the Aviators Health and Fitness Club in Kidlington this week.

"It will be a bit different this year because in the past, the championship has always been in the drivers' minds, but this year no-one's got anything to lose, so it's probably going to be the best fight we'll see." Burns, who claimed his fourth career win by seeing off the challenge of Spain's Carlos Sainz to take the Australian Rally earlier this month, will be going hell for leather in the gruelling 43-hour, 22-stage British event to try to finish second in the championship.

And that would be a remarkable recovery after the Subarus coughed and spluttered in the first few rounds the year.

"To finish second would be a great achievement because we were really struggling going into the second half of the year," said 28-year-old Burns.

"It didn't look like we were going to get into the top four or five, and the turn-around we've had has been pretty amazing."

Burns won last year's race - the first time the event was not officially called the RAC Rally - driving a Mitsubishi with co-driver Robert Reid. He was brilliant, particularly in the later foggy sections when there was a high level of top driver retirements.

For both McRae, whom Burns replaced at Subaru, and the Kidlington driver, this is their home international. And both are particularly fast in the demanding stages in Wales. "I'm pretty confident about the Network Q," Burns said. "The RAC or Network Q is one of my favourite events and it's the one I most want to win this year.

"In our two days' testing in Wales, everything went pretty well. I'm obviously confident with what's happened in the last half of the year when every rally we've finished we haven't finished lower than second.

"All the stages in Wales I enjoy, they're all good quality roads," he said. "We've been quick on all of them, but I'm probably best on the ones in mid-Wales."

He added: "I don't really have any pressure. The only way I can improve my position in the championship and finish second is to win the rally, and even then it relies on what Didier Auriol does and where he finishes.

"The only thing I can concentrate on is winning - but that's good." The Network Q Rally starts at Cheltenham Racecourse on Sunday morning and heads off towards the stately homes of Cornbury Park and Blenheim Palace, then Silverstone, before tracking back towards Wales for the spectacular stages through the Forestry Commission roads.

Although there are physiotherapists on hand at every rally, Prodrive put great stock on looking after their drivers as well as their cars, and they employ a specialist fitness trainer for Burns and their French Touring Car racer Alain Menu.

That man is Will Deeley, who said: "The priority is to keep Richard fresh for the whole rally."

With the punishment the body takes during these rallies, the trainer has to concentrate on the upper body which can get thrown about around the bends.

"I have to work on his neck and shoulders and on his torso structure to withstand the effects of whiplash should he be in the odd bang or two," Deeley said. "We're hoping that next Tuesday, when all the other drivers are feeling absolutely exhausted, he can still feel strong and good."

Burns said: "Whenever I'm at home I train with Will and I use the gym all the time. It's not quite as flash as the ones in town, but it has everything that you need.

"Fitness is so important. You're working very hard for each rally. You're doing seven days just sat in the car, and if you just didn't do anything else, your body would become pretty moulded and stiff and stuck in that position.

"It makes a big difference to be able to finish at the end of the third day of a big event feeling fresh and still being able to concentrate on what you are doing."

Sleep will be in short supply during the event. The route on Monday, for example, is almost 18 hours' long, with only one ten-minute rest halt.

And you need your wits about you. In the Acropolis Rally in Greece this June, Burns spun so badly that he was just inches away from going over a precipice.

Story date: Thursday 18 November

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