Colin McRae will go under the surgeon's knife next Monday to repair the double fracture of his cheekbone which he sustained in last weekend's horrific accident during the Tour of Corsica.
The Scottish rally driver is recovering well since crashing his Ford Martini in which he fractured bones beneath his left eye and bruised a lung.
McRae was flown to Scotland by air ambulance on Sunday and was examined by a specialist in Edinburgh.
It was decided to allow the swelling on the 32-year-old's face to go down before a minor operation to re-set the bones could go ahead.
Although still in considerable discomfort following the 75mph accident during the second leg of the rally - the eleventh round of the FIA World Rally Championship - McRae has set his sights on a return to action in Italy's San Remo rally on October 20.
Following the accident the Ford Martini team management held talks with the sport's governing body, the FIA, to discuss the safety of the sport.
nToyota test driver Allan McNish has backed the Japanese company's offer of a race seat to Mika Salo for when they enter Formula One in 2002 - even though the Scot's position is unresolved.
McNish has been testing components this year for the car Toyota will launch in 17 months' time and the project will become his main priority in 2001, with the chassis due to be ready early next year.
Salo will leave the Sauber team, for whom he has raced this season, to assist with Toyota's development and has already been confirmed as one of their two drivers when they make their Formula One debut.
There is no indignation on McNish's part that he has yet to be rewarded with a similar offer, with the Scot determined to keep his head down and prove he is capable of filling the remaining place.
''I'm really happy about the situation with Mika, firstly because I know him and he's a nice enough guy,'' said the 30-year-old.
''He's also got plenty of Formula One experience, so with some of the technical things he'll be ahead of me and I can learn from that.''
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