Rally boss Richards lauds Burns victory

Richards - who also runs Prodrive, the outfit which builds and runs the Subaru Impreza WRC machines - said Burns' title will spur the team on next year, despite his driver's switch to Peugeot in 2002.

"Richard has got a great talent," said Richards. "And he's proved his worth again this year. It helps us go into next season on a high."

Richards is boss of ISC, the promoters of the World Rally Championship, and said Burns' success was a welcome boost for Britain, which hasn't had a World Champion since Damon Hill clinched the Formula 1 crown in 1996.

"It's great for British motorsport," continued Richards. "The sport is on roll in this country. I take my hat off to all the spectators who had stuck it out in miserable conditions. They have suffered out there, but having a British World Champion will make it all worth while.

"There are lots of aspects of this event which have been improved," he added. "This event is still the challenge it always was. It's a sprint right from the beginning."

Subaru's team boss Dave Lapworth joined in the tributes.

"We signed Richard three years ago with the intention of making him world champion and we've worked hard to achieve that," he said. "It's been a massive team effort, people were writing us off in the middle of the season, but we've proved them wrong.

"It'll take a while to sink in, we've just got to get him back to Cardiff now. Richard has proved himself now to be one of the best drivers in the world, and all along his approach has been determined and focused and he judged the pace superbly this rally. There'll be a big celebration tonight!"