McRae wins in San Remo

Colin McRae has won the San Remo Rally for the first time. The former world champion, driving a Subaru Impreza 555, beat Carlos Sainz by 22sec in the penultimate event of the 1996 World Rally Championship.

The Spaniard, in a Ford Escort Cosworth, narrowed the gap behind McRae by 10 seconds from yesterday's second stage but was unable to catch the race leader. The 28-year-old McRae completed the Italian race in 4hr 26min 57sec. Bruno Thiry, of Belgium, was third.

Finland's Tommi Makinen, the 1996 champion, crashed out in the opening stage on Monday.