Ranking lost WRC legend Richard Burns' 10 best rallies

Two decades ago today, Richard Burns and Robert Reid conquered their Everest. Third place on the 2001 Rally GB allowed them to stand on top of the world and bask in the glory of being the best in the business.

Four years on to the day, Burns lost his battle with the astrocytoma that first appeared late in a 2003 World Rally Championship campaign that had the British pair looking odds-on for a second title in three years. Instead, Burns began a new fight that he had no chance of winning.

Reid was alongside Burns throughout his career and subsequent illness, and is perfectly placed to talk Autosport through 10 of the best for his driver and his mate.

PLUS: The internal focus that made Burns a legendary world rally champion 

10. Rally of Wales 1993

Wales win began successful British Rally Championship campaign

Photo by: Motorsport Images

Even as a 22-year-old, Richard Burns had forged a close relationship with Prodrive. In 1992, he drove the Banbury-based team’s development Group N Subaru Legacy RS in the British national series.

If this feature had been about the best 11 rallies in Burns’s career, the 11th event would likely have been the 1992 Severn Valley. He won the mid-Welsh event outright despite still being something of a four-wheel-drive novice and giving away a significant power advantage to his rivals.

The following year his manager and friend David Williams sourced backing from Elonex and Prodrive to put Burns and Alister McRae into a pair of Group A Legacy RSs for the British Open Championship. The Rally of Wales was round one, and Burns dominated.

"The one stage where we struggled was Ystwyth. There were no maps in there and Richard was the sort of driver who really needed a lot of information about what was coming – his pacenotes were always incredibly detailed"Robert Reid

“That was the start of a great year for Richard and me," says Reid. "It wasn’t an easy one by any means. As well as Alister, Malcolm [Wilson] was running his own factory-specification Ford Escort Cosworth, and there were a number of good private drivers.

“Everything clicked in Wales. Malcolm was close, but he had a problem with the wipers failing in the rain. We took a lot of time out of people in places like Dyfi and Dyfnant. The one stage where we struggled was Ystwyth. There were no maps in there and Richard was the sort of driver who really needed a lot of information about what was coming – his pacenotes were always incredibly detailed.

“Great start for us, though, and we followed this up with wins on round two in Kielder and then on the Scottish – a particularly satisfying one for me!”

Burns became the youngest driver to win three British rounds on the bounce and would soon be the youngest champion too.

9. Rally Finland 1999

Burns narrowly lost out to Kankkunen (pictured) in a performance that underlined a changing of the guard at Subaru

Photo by: Motorsport Images

With its high-speed crests and blind jumps, Finland is the sort of place where a driver needs to serve his apprenticeship. Even a local is expected to put down three or four Rally Finland starts before they seriously think about challenging so, when Burns and Reid did just that in a Prodrive Subaru Impreza in 1999, eyebrows were raised.

Ultimately, they finished second to team-mate and local hero Juha Kankkunen. But notice of Burns’s massive speed and commitment was definitely served in Jyvaskyla in 1999.

Reid says: “This result was a bit of a mixed blessing for Richard and me. Naturally, we were pretty pleased to finish our second ever Finland just nine seconds off the win, but we were both frustrated that this one had got away.

“There was a little bit of needle in the team around that time. This was just a couple of weeks after Argentina, where Juha won despite being told to hold station with us in the lead. At the time, those things can get under your skin a little bit, but it just helped to teach us that Juha could be a wily old fox…”

8. Panaround Stages 1991

Strong form in the Peugeot 205 in 1991 made him known to Prodrive

Photo by: Motorsport Images

It’s the start of Burns’s second season in the sport. Spying real potential in the young Englishman, Reid has decided to join RB for his second year in the Peugeot Challenge. This time around, it’s the international-status series for Burns. This step up means higher-profile events where the competition is reckoned to be closer fought among the more experienced drivers in the popular one-make series.

The result is, however, the same: more domination from Burns. His speed in the 205 GTi is exceptional, as is his meticulous preparation of the car.

"We were going to rallies where neither of us had much experience and posting results which were quite disproportionate to the performance of the car we were in" Robert Reid

“I’d been around the sport for a couple of years and been with some good drivers, but when the chance came to sit with Richard I was interested," says Reid. “It was obvious how driven and dedicated he was from the outset. The pace on the Panaround that year was incredible. And it just kept coming. We were going to rallies where neither of us had much experience and posting results which were quite disproportionate to the performance of the car we were in.

“It was around this time that Richard was introduced to Prodrive. A highlight not long after the Panaround was his first time out in a four-wheel-drive rally car, when we finished third on the Border Counties Rally in Scotland in a Group N Legacy. That first year together was great – and it was the Panaround where I really felt the future was looking good.”

Burns’s Panaround win was the start of a dominant year in the Peugeot Challenge. The culmination of the season was a prize drive on the RAC Rally in a works Peugeot 309 GTI, where he won his class and finished 16th overall.

7. RAC Rally 1995

First WRC podium came on 1995 RAC Rally as team-mates McRae and Burns scrapped for the title

Photo by: Motorsport Images

With the spotlight firmly on his title-chasing colleagues Colin McRae and Carlos Sainz, Burns was able to go into the final round of the 1995 season relatively untroubled by the glare of the media spotlight – the perfect environment to land a maiden WRC podium.

Burns’s performance in following McRae and Sainz home on the RAC Rally ensured a podium lock-out to help Subaru seal its first ever manufacturers’ world championship. Burns celebrated by promptly heading to Mitsubishi.

“That was a special one,” says Reid. “You don’t forget your first podium in the WRC, especially not when it comes at home. Once we got into the woods, it was a fairly straightforward event for us, but I do remember a small panic on the Sunday spectator stages. We damaged the steering in the first stage, then struggled through Chatsworth and managed to get the thing fixed at the side of the road. Fortunately we didn’t have far to go to service.

“Once we got over that drama, Richard was able to drive in a really nice, controlled way to bring the car home third. The team was, as you could imagine, delighted. And, yes, I do have vague recollection of a pretty good party in Chester that night…

“It was a funny position for me really. I was Richard’s co-driver, but I was a mate to them both – I’d been at Colin’s 18th and 21st birthday parties and we’d known each other for a long time. As time passed, the media made plenty out of this ‘Battle of the Brits’, but the reality was quite different. We all got on well.”

6. Rally New Zealand 1996

Burns beat works-entered Subarus to win APRC round in New Zealand

Photo by: Motorsport Images

The transfer to Mitsubishi for the 1996 season was a move many hadn’t seen coming, but Burns knew that Subaru was Colin McRae’s team – especially as the Scot had won the 1995 world title. There wouldn’t be a full WRC campaign for 1996, but Andrew Cowan promised to keep Burns and Reid as busy as possible with his Ralliart Mitsubishi squad.

One of the key markets for Mitsubishi was, understandably, Asia Pacific, which is how they found themselves at the wheel of a factory Mitsubishi Lancer Evo III in such far-flung places as Thailand and Indonesia.

"The party was pretty good too – we did one Sunday night party in Auckland, then flew over the international dateline and enjoyed a second Sunday party when we landed for a holiday in Hawaii!" Robert Reid

New Zealand wasn’t a counting round of the full WRC in 1996 (due to the FIA’s policy of rotating events in the calendar), but it was still well attended. Subaru also had a keen interest in the Asia Pacific Rally Championship and sent Kenneth Eriksson to Auckland to maintain its domination of the North Island event. That’s not how it worked out. Burns drove brilliantly to land his first major win.

Reid says: “It was Kenneth and Piero [Liatti] in Subarus that we beat there. We’d done the event a couple of times before, but retired both times. That win was a real highlight of the season and our careers to that point. The party was pretty good too – we did one Sunday night party in Auckland, then flew over the international dateline and enjoyed a second Sunday party when we landed for a holiday in Hawaii!”

5. Rally Australia 2003

Final podium came in Australia before deterioration began

Photo by: Motorsport Images

Three podiums – one of which was a win – from his previous four visits to Perth meant there was real optimism when Burns stepped off the plane in Western Australia in 2003. Ultimately, the event delivered another top three, but it was an unremarkable event for the Brit.

He’d struggled to match the early speed of Peugeot team-mate Marcus Gronholm, but on the upside he returned to the northern hemisphere with a bigger gap than ever (seven points – don’t forget this was in old money when a win was only worth 10) at the top of the table.

Was this one of Burns’s best-ever rallies? No. Was it one of the most poignant? Certainly. Rally Australia 18 years ago was as close as he would come to a second world title. An astonishing seven podiums from the first 10 rounds ensured he remained in front for much of the season.

It was also the last time he and Reid would ever visit a WRC podium. Thereafter the results deteriorated for what were, at the time, unknown reasons. Everything became horribly clear as the season played out.

Reid says: “We’d had some great times in Australia. It was a place and an event that Richard and I both really enjoyed. The ball bearing-type surface seriously handicapped the first car on the road and it was always an interesting challenge to find the best possible place [on the road].

“We’d gone to Australia in 2003 on the back of a third place in Finland. At the time, that third in Jyvaskyla had us all a bit bemused. We’d gone into the final stage in Mokkipera in second place, 1.8 seconds up on Petter Solberg. We came out and Petter had taken second, beating us in the stage by three seconds. That wasn’t Richard. That sort of thing just didn’t happen to him – he was so good in those final-stage fights.

“At the time we didn’t really think anything of it. We did Australia, added a point or two to our lead, then came back to Europe for three consecutive asphalt rallies in Sanremo, Corsica and Catalunya. We really struggled and ended those three events with a bizarre accident in Spain.

“After the crash, Richard left for Barcelona where he was staying for the night. As he was getting in the car to go, I asked him about the debrief. For the first and only time ever, he told me he didn’t want to do it. He asked me to let him know what happened.

“That wasn’t Richard. A few days later we found out what was going on.”

4. Rally GB 1998

First win at home came in 1998 for Mitsubishi

Photo by: Motorsport Images

For the second year in succession, Burns locked horns with McRae at home. This time Colin’s younger brother Alister joined Subaru for a one-off outing at home too, and was giving chase to Burns’s Mitsubishi when he crashed heavily in St Gwynno on the final morning.

By that point Burns was well clear of everybody. He and McRae Sr had traded times and the top spot through the first two days before the Impreza WRC98’s engine cried enough. When McRae Jr went to the trees as well, RB was left to nurse a near four-minute advantage from Ford’s Juha Kankkunen. He did just that.

"Typically, Colin was really quick out of the blocks, but we were there with him. It was a good fight and it was actually a real shame when Colin’s engine let go. Richard really wanted to beat him fair and square" Robert Reid

Reid says: “We didn’t do Rally GB in 1996, it wasn’t a full WRC round. When we came home with Mitsubishi in 1997, that was really the first time we’d had a good chance of winning the event. Everything was going well after an astonishing run from Richard through the fog in Radnor – we caught and passed Didier Auriol! But then we lost the lead with a puncture.

“The year later, Richard and I were determined to finish the job. Typically, Colin was really quick out of the blocks, but we were there with him. It was a good fight and it was actually a real shame when Colin’s engine let go. Richard really wanted to beat him fair and square.

“Having said that, a small electronic issue and a jammed wheelnut on the final day were enough to keep us on our toes. By the time we got back to Cheltenham, we were pretty happy to see the finish!”

3. Rally Portugal 2000

Burns gave the new-for-2000 Subaru a memorable maiden win in Portugal

Photo by: Motorsport Images

The car codenamed the P2000 (it would ultimately become the Impreza WRC2000) was the Subaru that Burns had been waiting for. Christian Loriaux evolved David Lapworth’s already exceptional work with previous incarnations, and what emerged was a World Rally Car with the most incredible stability and traction.

Such was Prodrive’s determination to keep its latest creation away from prying eyes that the team elected to contain the media’s movement around the service park more than ever. That only served as further frustration when the full extent of the car’s ability became obvious on its Portuguese debut.

The record shows victory for Burns by 6.5 seconds from Marcus Gronholm. The reality is quite different. This was a whitewash from the blue and yellow machine. Little wonder the P2000 was Burns’s favourite car.

“The first time we tested the new car we were in Spain,” says Reid. “We were back-to-backing it with the previous car. We went out and did our first run. It didn’t feel anything special, but when I looked at the watch I was a bit lost for words.

“‘Well?’ said Richard, wanting to know what the time was like. I told him the time. We were a second per kilometre faster than the old car.

“‘Nah,’ he said. ‘Let’s do another run.’ We did another run. Same result. It was incredible.
“It’s rare that you go into a rally and just know you can win it. Richard and I knew we could. We had some powersteering issues early on and lost a 40s lead to Marcus, but it wasn’t going to be a problem.

“Then we had a service barge drive into us on the motorway back to Porto. We got away with a bit of panel damage – it kept things interesting.

“A couple of stages to go and we were back in the lead. Some car that one…”

2. Safari Rally 1998

That Burns scored his first win on the Safari underscored his calculating nature

Photo by: Motorsport Images

Winning a Safari is not straightforward. Kenya requires a very different mindset from a European sprint-type rally. Burns’s early experience of guiding a Group N Subaru Impreza across the African plains laid the foundations for his maiden WRC win in 1998.

Recognised as one of the sport’s more mechanically astute and sympathetic drivers, he knew what was needed to get the Mitsubishi Carisma to the finish. Question was, could he do it quickly enough to challenge team-mate and former Safari winner Tommi Makinen? Yes, he could.

"I do remember the BBC complaining a wee bit at the amount of swearing Richard did as we crossed the finish line on the last stage. It was a moment worth celebrating!" Robert Reid

Burns was firmly in the mix when the Finn departed early. From then on, it was about rally management. A late scare when a damaged sump needed replacing kept the team and the Reading driver on his toes. He needn’t have worried; Andrew Cowan’s well-drilled Ralliart squad got the job done with time to spare.

Reid says: “The Safari suited Richard’s temperament as a driver really well and, because of that, it was a fitting place to take our first win in the world championship. As was the case back in those days, Richard and I had spent a lot of time in Africa testing the car and on the recce, but by the time we got to the start we felt pretty confident.

“I don’t remember any major issues at all. There were a few retirements around us, but we just stuck to it and did our thing. I do remember the BBC complaining a wee bit at the amount of swearing Richard did as we crossed the finish line on the last stage. It was a moment worth celebrating! We’d won our first ever WRC round.”

1. Rally GB 2001

Burns kept his cool when it mattered as rivals Makinen, McRae and Sainz all crashed out to win the title

Photo by: Motorsport Images

The big one. A four-way fight for the 2001 world title involving Burns, Colin McRae, Tommi Makinen and Carlos Sainz. The Finn’s early bath was an immediate headline, but that was soon overtaken by the spectacular exit of McRae.

Always the long shot for the 2001 title, Sainz crashed out in Brechfa and left Burns in the box seat. Fourth place would suffice and in the end third did the trick.

“What can I say about this one?” recalls Reid. “Colin’s accident early doors was a bit of a wake-up call. I remember getting to the end of the stage and Richard looked over and just said, ‘F***ing hell!’ I think we were running third or something then and we knew we had to stay in that position, but concentration wasn’t all that easy. Seeing Colin’s car, Richard missed his braking point for a junction just a bit further up the road. We slid backwards into a bank.

“After that, Richard was totally disciplined and did what was needed. Coming across the finish line on 25 November 2001, he grabbed my hand and raised it to the roof, shouting, ‘You’re the best in the world!’ That was quite a moment and not one I’ll ever forget.”

Burns and Reid celebrate their crowning glory after finishing a trouble-free third in Wales

Photo by: Motorsport Images