Loeb uncertain of return date

World rallying champion Sebastien Loeb, who broke his arm in a bicycle accident last week, does not know when he will be able to compete again.

Frenchman Loeb was on the verge of clinching a third consecutive championship, leading Finland's Marcus Gronholm by 35 points with four races remaining, when he fell off his mountain bike during physical training.

"How soon I will return will depend on how it all develops and for the moment, it's impossible to say," Loeb told French sports daily L'Equipe in an interview yesterday.

"When you drive in rallies all year, you don't imagine that you can put your career at risk by riding a bike, but that's part of my physical preparation."

Loeb will definitely miss next week's Turkish Rally, with Britain's Colin McRae stepping in to replace him for the Kronos Citroen team.

McRae, the 1995 world champion with Subaru and winner of 25 rallies, was Loeb's team-mate at Citroen in 2003 but lost his place at the end of that year.

McRae's last world rally appearance was at the end of 2005 with Skoda, when he competed in two events and briefly ran second in Australia.

Loeb said he was still hoping to win the championship.

"As long as I won't be there, it will be easier for Gronholm to win rallies. That said, if he has the slightest problem, he could be out of it without me having to get involved," Loeb said.