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The Subaru World Rally Team (SWRT) was Subaru's
World Rally Championship The World Rally Championship (abbreviated as WRC) is the highest level of global competition in the motorsport discipline of rallying, owned and governed by the FIA. There are separate championships for drivers, co-drivers, manufacturers and t ...
(WRC) team. It used a distinctive blue with yellow colour scheme that is a throwback to the sponsorship deal with
State Express 555 State Express 555, known as 555 and Bentoel 555, is a Westminster, London-based luxurious cigarette originally manufactured in the United Kingdom by the Ardath Tobacco Company. The overseas rights to the brand, excluding the U.K., were acquired ...
, a
BAT Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera.''cheir'', "hand" and πτερόν''pteron'', "wing". With their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more agile in flight than most ...
cigarette brand popular in Asia. 555 logos were found on Subaru cars from 1993 to 2003, although less prevalent since 1999 due to BAT's participation in Formula One with British American Racing. Subaru's WRC efforts date back to 1980, however, in 1989 British firm
Prodrive Prodrive is a British motorsport and advanced engineering group based in Banbury, Oxfordshire, England. It designs, constructs and races cars for companies and teams such as Aston Martin, Bahrain Raid Xtreme and Team X44. Its advanced technolo ...
took over its operations, and its base moved from Japan to
Banbury Banbury is a historic market town on the River Cherwell in Oxfordshire, South East England. It had a population of 54,335 at the 2021 Census. Banbury is a significant commercial and retail centre for the surrounding area of north Oxfordshir ...
, England. Subaru used the team to showcase its symmetrical
all wheel drive An all-wheel drive vehicle (AWD vehicle) is one with a powertrain capable of providing power to all its wheels, whether full-time or on-demand. The most common forms of all-wheel drive are: ;1x1 : All unicycles Reflecting one axle with one w ...
technology. It has credited the increased sales of its vehicles, especially the
Subaru Impreza The is a compact car that has been manufactured by the Japanese automaker Subaru since 1992. It was introduced as a replacement for the Leone, with the predecessor's EA series engines replaced by the new EJ series. It is now in its sixth gene ...
, with its success in the World Rally Championship, in addition to popularizing its all-wheel-drive system. Its 2008 season drivers were
Petter Solberg Petter Solberg (born 18 November 1974) is a Norwegian former professional rally and rallycross driver. Solberg debuted in the World Rally Championship in 1998 and was signed by the Ford factory team in 1999. The following year, Solberg started ...
with
co-driver A co-driver is the navigator of a rally car in the sport of rallying, who sits in the front passenger seat. The co-driver's job is to navigate, commonly by reading off a set of pacenotes to the driver (what lies ahead, where to turn, the severity ...
Phil Mills Phil Mills (born 30 August 1963) is a Welsh rally racing co-driver. He was winner of the 2003 World Rally Championship (WRC), as co-driver to Petter Solberg. Mills was born in Trefeglwys, Powys. He has a place in the Welsh Sports Hall of Fame, ...
, and
Chris Atkinson Chris Atkinson (born 30 November 1979 in Bega, New South Wales, Australia) is a professional rally driver. In the World Rally Championship (WRC), Atkinson drove for the Subaru World Rally Team between 2004 and 2008. His best finish on an indi ...
with co-driver Stéphane Prévot. David Richards was the team's Principal, and a founder and chairman of Prodrive. Paul Howarth was the team's operations director and team manager. He replaced David Lapworth in 2006. Richard Taylor was the team's managing director. The team was a strong one, competing at the top of the WRC for over a decade. It won the manufacturers' championship three times in
1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The Great Hanshin earthquake str ...
, 1996, and
1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; '' Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of ...
, and the drivers' championship three times, in
1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The Great Hanshin earthquake str ...
, 2001, and 2003. Its
Impreza The is a compact car that has been manufactured by the Japanese automaker Subaru since 1992. It was introduced as a replacement for the Subaru Leone, Leone, with the predecessor's Subaru EA engine, EA series engines replaced by the new Subaru EJ ...
model won a record 46 rallies. The team withdrew from WRC competition at the end of the 2008 season due to widespread economic downturn.


Racing history

Although Subaru had participated in the World Rally Championship at various times since 1980, it was not until September 1989, that the Subaru World Rally Team, in its current form, was created.
Subaru Tecnica International Subaru Tecnica International (in ja, スバルテクニカインターナショナル株式会社, Subaru Tekunika Intānashonaru Kabushiki-gaisha), or STI (prior to 2006, STi), is Subaru Corporation's motorsports division. STI, along with Prodri ...
(STi) president Ryuichiro Kuze forged a partnership with the British firm
Prodrive Prodrive is a British motorsport and advanced engineering group based in Banbury, Oxfordshire, England. It designs, constructs and races cars for companies and teams such as Aston Martin, Bahrain Raid Xtreme and Team X44. Its advanced technolo ...
to prepare and enter the recently introduced Legacy RS in the
World Rally Championship The World Rally Championship (abbreviated as WRC) is the highest level of global competition in the motorsport discipline of rallying, owned and governed by the FIA. There are separate championships for drivers, co-drivers, manufacturers and t ...
.


1980–1989

Subaru's initial forays into the World Rally Championship were with Subaru Rally Team Japan, run by Noriyuki Koseki, the founder of
Subaru Tecnica International Subaru Tecnica International (in ja, スバルテクニカインターナショナル株式会社, Subaru Tekunika Intānashonaru Kabushiki-gaisha), or STI (prior to 2006, STi), is Subaru Corporation's motorsports division. STI, along with Prodri ...
. The first Subaru car entered a world rally at the 1980
Safari Rally The Safari Rally is a rally held in Kenya. It was first held in 1953 as a celebration of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. The event was part of the World Rally Championship from 1973 until 2002, before returning in 2021. It is historically r ...
and since that, the team only participated in a few events per season, driving the
Subaru Leone The Subaru Leone is a compact car produced by the Japanese car manufacturer Subaru from 1971 to 1994. The word ''leone'' is Italian for lion. It was released as a replacement for the Subaru 1000 and was the predecessor of the Subaru Impreza. Al ...
. Drivers in the early years included Ari Vatanen, Per Eklund, Shekhar Mehta, Mike Kirkland, Possum Bourne, and Harald Demuth. The best result and only podium was achieved by Bourne at the 1987 Rally New Zealand by finishing third. With the start of the Prodrive effort, the teams competed in parallel, before being folded into each other.


1990–1992

Subaru entered its first Prodrive developed car, the
Group A Group A is a set of motorsport regulations administered by the FIA covering production derived vehicles intended for competition, usually in touring car racing and rallying. In contrast to the short-lived Group B and Group C, Group A vehicles ...
Subaru Legacy RS in the 1990 season, piloted by Finnish driver
Markku Alén Markku Allan Alén (born 15 February 1951) is a Finnish former rally and race car driver. He drove for Fiat, Lancia, Subaru and Toyota in the World Rally Championship, and held the record for most stage wins (801) in the series, until Sébastie ...
. Alen remained with the team through the 1991 season. His successes included 4th place in the 1990
Rally Finland Rally Finland (formerly known as the Neste Rally Finland, Neste Oil Rally Finland, 1000 Lakes Rally and Rally of the Thousand Lakes; fi, Suomen ralli, sv, Finska rallyt) is a rally competition in the Finnish Lakeland in Central Finland. The ra ...
, also known as the 1000 Lakes Rally, and in 1991, a 3rd and two 4th places. For the
1992 season Year 199 ( CXCIX) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was sometimes known as year 952 ''Ab urbe condita''. The denomination 199 for this year has been used since the ...
, Subaru only entered seven of the fourteen WRC events, preferring to demonstrate the car's ability on gravel rallies. The drivers for 1992 were Finn
Ari Vatanen Ari Pieti Uolevi Vatanen (; born 27 April 1952) is a Finnish rally driver turned politician and a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from 1999 to 2009. Vatanen won the World Rally Championship drivers' title in 1981 and the Paris Dakar Rall ...
with
co-driver A co-driver is the navigator of a rally car in the sport of rallying, who sits in the front passenger seat. The co-driver's job is to navigate, commonly by reading off a set of pacenotes to the driver (what lies ahead, where to turn, the severity ...
Bruno Berglund and Scotsman
Colin McRae Colin Steele McRae, (5 August 1968 – 15 September 2007) was a Scottish rally driver. He was the 1991 and 1992 British Rally Champion, and in 1995 became the first British driver and the youngest person to win the World Rally Championship ...
with co-driver
Derek Ringer Derek Ringer (born 11 October 1956) is a Scottish rally co-driver. He is most closely associated with Colin McRae, with whom he won the 1995 World Rally Championship. Although their partnership extended back to the 1980s when McRae was a teen ...
. Both drivers were able to achieve second-place finishes. Colin McRae also won the
British Rally Championship The British Rally Championship is a rallying series based in the United Kingdom. The first championship was run in 1958 and it has been licensed by the Motor Sports Association (MSA) since 1999. MSA has opted not to run the series in 2015, ins ...
in 1991 and 1992.


1993

For the
1993 World Rally Championship season The 1993 World Rally Championship was the 21st season of the FIA World Rally Championship. The season consisted of 13 rallies. Juha Kankkunen won his fourth drivers' world championship in a Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD, ahead of François Delecour ...
, the Subaru team debuted its now distinctive blue and yellow color scheme, along with a new title sponsor,
State Express 555 State Express 555, known as 555 and Bentoel 555, is a Westminster, London-based luxurious cigarette originally manufactured in the United Kingdom by the Ardath Tobacco Company. The overseas rights to the brand, excluding the U.K., were acquired ...
. Ari Vatanen and Colin McRae remained the primary drivers, with the season being McRae's first complete year of World Rally Championship competition. Markku Alén, returned part-time to the team after a brief stint at
Toyota is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. It was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on . Toyota is one of the largest automobile manufacturers in the world, producing about 10 ...
in 1992, and took 4th for Subaru in Portugal. McRae took the first win for Subaru, at the eighth event of the season,
Rally New Zealand The Rally New Zealand is an annual rally race in New Zealand. It was first included as a round of the World Rally Championship in 1977. The race is famous for its fast flowing gravel roads which carry the competitors through forests and alongside ...
, the last outing for the Group A
Subaru Legacy The is a mid-size car built by Japanese automobile manufacturer Subaru since 1989. The maker's flagship car, it is unique in its class for offering all-wheel drive as a standard feature, and Subaru's traditional boxer engine. The Legacy was sol ...
rally cars. At the next event, Rally Finland, Subaru debuted their new Prodrive developed Group A
Impreza The is a compact car that has been manufactured by the Japanese automaker Subaru since 1992. It was introduced as a replacement for the Subaru Leone, Leone, with the predecessor's Subaru EA engine, EA series engines replaced by the new Subaru EJ ...
rally car, known as the Impreza 555, driven by Vatanen and Alén. Alén crashed on the first stage, and did not drive for Subaru again. Vatanen, however, showed the car to be quick, even leading the rally at one point, and managing a second-place finish. At the end of the season, Vatanen took seventh in the Drivers' Championship, and Colin McRae finished in fifth with 50. Subaru finished third in the Manufacturers' Championship. Other drivers also competed for the Subaru team at selected events. New Zealand driver
Possum Bourne Peter "Possum" Raymond George Bourne (13 April 1956 – 30 April 2003) was a champion New Zealand rally car driver. He died under non-competitive circumstances while driving on a public road that was to be the track for an upcoming race. Awards ...
, veteran of Subaru's early days, joined the team for the Rally New Zealand and
Rally Australia Rally Australia is an automobile rally event which was held in Coffs Harbour as the final leg of the World Rally Championship (WRC) until 2018. First run in 1988, the rally was held in and around Perth, Western Australia until 2006. It was par ...
.
Piero Liatti Piero Liatti (born 7 March 1962) is an Italian rally driver. His specialty was driving on tarmac rallies like Monte Carlo, Catalunya, Corsica and the San Remo Rally. At the end of season 2021, Liatti is the last Italian driver to win a race in ...
competed in
Rallye Sanremo Rallye Sanremo is a rally competition held in Sanremo, Italy. Except for the 1995 event, the event was part of the FIA World Rally Championship schedule from the 1973 season to the 2003 season. Currently, it is a round of the Intercontinental Rall ...
and Rally Great Britain. Drivers
Richard Burns Richard Alexander Burns (17 January 1971 – 25 November 2005) was an English rally driver who won the 2001 World Rally Championship, having previously finished runner-up in the series in 1999 and 2000. He also helped Mitsubishi to the world ...
and
Alister McRae Alister McRae (born 20 December 1970) is a British rally driver who competed in the World Rally Championship. He is the son of the five-time British Rally Champion Jimmy McRae and the younger brother of the late 1995 World Rally Champion, ...
had competed in the British Championship, which Burns won, and appeared again in Legacies for Rally Great Britain, where Burns finished seventh and McRae tenth. Drivers
Per Eklund Per Torsten Eklund (born 21 June 1946) is a Swedish Rally and Rallycross driver. His nickname is "Pekka". In rallying he never made it to the very top but he has been very successful in his later rallycross career. Biography Saab works d ...
and
Hannu Mikkola Hannu Olavi Mikkola (24 May 1942 − 25 February 2021) was a Finnish champion world rally driver. He was a seven-time winner of the 1000 Lakes Rally in Finland and won the RAC Rally in Great Britain four times. Career Mikkola's rally career ...
drove for the team in
Rally Sweden The Rally Sweden ( sv, Svenska rallyt), formerly the International Swedish Rally, and later the Uddeholm Swedish Rally, is an automobile rally competition held in February in Värmland, Sweden and relocated to Umeå in 2022. First held in 1950, ...
.


1994–1995

In
1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which sank in the Baltic Sea; Nelson ...
, former World Rally Drivers' Champion
Carlos Sainz Carlos Sainz may refer to: People * Carlos Sainz Sr. (born 1962), Spanish rally driver world champion, father of Jr. * Carlos Sainz Jr. (born 1994), Spanish Formula One driver, son of Sr. Other uses * '' Carlos Sainz: World Rally Championship'', 1 ...
joined the team with co-driver Luis Moya, and took the Impreza 555 to its first win at the Acropolis Rally in Greece. It later took wins in New Zealand and Great Britain with McRae at the wheel. In the Championship for Manufacturers, they achieved a second-place finish, behind Toyota, with Sainz placing second in the driver's championship, and McRae placing fourth. Other drivers for the Subaru team in 1994 included Patrick Njiru, competing in the Safari Rally, Richard Burns in the Safari Rally and Rally Great Britain, Possum Bourne in New Zealand, and Piero Liatti at Rallye Sanremo. For the 1995 season, the primary drivers remained Sainz in the number 5 car and McRae in the number 4 car. Sainz won the season opening round at the Rallye Monte Carlo, while McRae crashed out of the event. At Rally Sweden, Sainz, McRae, and third driver Mats Jonsson all retired with engine trouble. Sainz won again at the Rally Portugal, while McRae finished in third place. At the Rallye de France, Sainz, McRae, and third driver
Piero Liatti Piero Liatti (born 7 March 1962) is an Italian rally driver. His specialty was driving on tarmac rallies like Monte Carlo, Catalunya, Corsica and the San Remo Rally. At the end of season 2021, Liatti is the last Italian driver to win a race in ...
finished in the fourth, fifth, and sixth places respectively. At Rally New Zealand, McRae took his first win of the season. Other drivers for the team included Possum Bourne, who finished in seventh place, and Richard Burns who retired with a mechanical failure. At the Rally Australia, McRae took second place. Sainz retired after his radiator failed, while third driver Bourne retired after an accident. At the Rallye Catalunya, Subaru locked out the podium with a 1–2–3 finish. Sainz took first, McRae took second, and third driver Piero Liatti finished third. Sainz's first-place finish in Catalunya left he and McRae tied for points going into the last event of the season, the RAC Rally of Great Britain. McRae won out, taking first place at his home event, clinching his first and only Driver's Championship, a first for the Subaru team. Sainz finished close behind in second place, giving him second in the Championship, and third driver Richard Burns finished in third place, giving the team a second consecutive 1–2–3 finish. Between McRae and Sainz the team managed to win five of the season's eight rallies for Subaru, winning the team its first Constructors Championship. At the end of the season, Sainz left Subaru to join Ford World Rallye Sport.


1996

For the
1996 World Rally Championship season The 1996 World Rally Championship was the 24th season of the FIA World Rally Championship. The season consisted of 9 rallies. As a result of their disqualification, Toyota Team Europe were not allowed to compete in this year's championship, so ...
, Colin McRae was again the lead driver for Subaru. Following his 1995 Championship victory, his Impreza 555 wore the #1 plate. He was joined by team drivers
Kenneth Eriksson Kenneth Eriksson (born 13 May 1956 in Äppelbo, in the kommun of Vansbro) is a now retired World Rally Championship rally driver. He drove for several manufacturer teams, including the Subaru World Rally Team, Mitsubishi, Hyundai and Škoda. He ...
, in the #2 car, and
Piero Liatti Piero Liatti (born 7 March 1962) is an Italian rally driver. His specialty was driving on tarmac rallies like Monte Carlo, Catalunya, Corsica and the San Remo Rally. At the end of season 2021, Liatti is the last Italian driver to win a race in ...
, with their co-drivers, Staffan Parmander and Mario Ferfoglia, respectively. At the first event of the season, Rally Sweden, McRae took third, Eriksson took fifth, and Liatti took twelfth. 1994 World Drivers' Champion
Didier Auriol Didier Auriol (born 18 August 1958) is a French former rally driver. Born in Montpellier, and initially an ambulance driver, he competed in the World Rally Championship throughout the 1990s. He became World Rally Champion in 1994, the first driv ...
also drove for the Subaru team in Sweden, taking his #3 car to tenth place. At the second round, the Safari Rally, Liatti's number was changed from #10 to #3. He took fifth place. McRae took fourth while Eriksson took second. At the
Rally Indonesia Rally of Indonesia (also known as the Indonesia Rally) is the largest rallying event held in Indonesia. Currently part of the Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC), it has twice been incorporated into the World Rally Championship (WRC) calendar, i ...
, Liatti finished in second place, while McRae and Eriksson both retired following accidents. McRae's first victory of the season was at the
Acropolis Rally The Acropolis Rally of Greece ( el, Ράλλυ Ακρόπολις) is a rally competition that is part of the World Rally Championship (WRC). The rally is held on very dusty, rough, rocky and fast mountain roads in mainland Greece, usually duri ...
, the fourth round of the championship. Liatti and Erikkson placed fourth and fifth respectively. Eriksson took third and Liatti fifth at Rally Argentina. McRae crashed out of Rally Argentina and the following event, Rally Finland. Liatti didn't compete in Finland, though Eriksson managed to finish in 5th place. McRae, Eriksson, and Liatti finished 4th, 2nd, and 7th respectively at Rally Australia. In Sanremo, McRae took victory, with Eriksson finishing in 5th. Liatti retired following an electrical failure. At the last round of the season, Rallye Catalunya, McRae took a second consecutive victory. Subaru took a 1–2 finish with Liatti finishing second. Eriksson finished in seventh position. Thanks to consistent podium finishes, Subaru successfully defended its Constructors' Championship, but McRae lost the Driver's Championship to Tommi Makinen.


1997–1998

For
1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; '' Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of ...
, McRae again led the team, however his co-driver Derek Ringer was replaced by Welshman
Nicky Grist Nicky Grist (born 1 November 1961) is a Welsh former rally co-driver, born in Ebbw Vale. His factory team career in the World Rally Championship lasted from 1993 to 2002. He won 21 rallies with more than one driver. Grist's first WRC win was i ...
. Secondary driver/co-driver teams included Piero Liatti/Fabrizia Pons (first in Monte Carlo), Olivier Burri/Christophe Hofmann and Kenneth Eriksson/Staffan Parmander (first in Sweden and New Zealand). Once again the team successfully defended its Constructors Championship, winning eight victories out of the fourteen rallies, but McRae again lost the Driver's Championship to Tommi Makinen, this time by just one point. In
1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently s ...
the team had an almost unchanged line-up, although Jahu Kangas/Pentti Kuukkala and Jarno Kytölehto/Arto Kapanen participated in one round each. McRae took wins in Portugal, Corsica and Greece. However, bad weather and mechanical failures hurt the team, and Subaru and McRae finished third in their respective championships. At the end of the season, McRae left the team to join
Ford Ford commonly refers to: * Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford * Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river Ford may also refer to: Ford Motor Company * Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company * Ford F ...
, with the tantalizing prospect of driving their brand-new car, the
Ford Focus WRC The Ford Focus RS WRC is a car built for the Ford World Rally Team by Ford Europe and M-Sport and based on the Ford Focus Climate 2-litre production hatchback, developed to compete in the World Rally Championship. The RS stands for ''Rallye Sport ...
.


1999–2001

Subaru had an all new line up for the 1999 season, with the nominated driver/co-driver teams of
Richard Burns Richard Alexander Burns (17 January 1971 – 25 November 2005) was an English rally driver who won the 2001 World Rally Championship, having previously finished runner-up in the series in 1999 and 2000. He also helped Mitsubishi to the world ...
/ Robert Reid,
Juha Kankkunen Juha Matti Pellervo Kankkunen (; born 2 April 1959) is a Finnish former rally driver. His factory team career in the World Rally Championship lasted from 1983 to 2002. He won 23 world rallies and four drivers' world championship titles, which we ...
/Juha Repo, and third team of
Bruno Thiry Bruno Thiry (born 8 October 1962) is a Belgian rally driver. He was born in St. Vith, Liège Province. He began his career as an amateur in 1981, driving a Simca, and quickly became very successful in the Belgian Rally Championship. by 1991 ...
/ Stéphane Prévot. The new car, the WRC99, featured an electronically controlled
Paddle shifter A semi-automatic transmission is a "theoretical" multiple-speed transmission where part of its operation is automated (typically the actuation of the clutch), but the driver's input would be required to launch the vehicle from a standstill and to ...
with a
drive-by-wire Drive by wire, DbW, by-wire, steer-by-wire, fly-by-wire or x-by-wire technology in the automotive or aviation industry is the use of electrical or electro-mechanical systems for performing vehicle functions traditionally achieved by mechanical link ...
throttle. Due to technical difficulties, the team struggled until the season's 7th round in Argentina. From there on, the teams earned the podium in seven out of eight events, with five wins, three of which were 1–2 finishes. Subaru finished second in the Manufacturers' Championship, just four points behind Toyota. Burns scored victories in Greece, Australia, and Wales, for second place and Kankkunen took fourth in the Drivers' Championship, with wins in Argentina and Finland. Burns and Kankkunen continued to drive for Subaru for the 2000 season, with
Petter Solberg Petter Solberg (born 18 November 1974) is a Norwegian former professional rally and rallycross driver. Solberg debuted in the World Rally Championship in 1998 and was signed by the Ford factory team in 1999. The following year, Solberg started ...
joining the team halfway through the season, driving in the
Rallye de France The Tour de Corse is a rally first held in 1956 on the island of Corsica. It was the French round of the World Rally Championship from the inaugural 1973 season until 2008, was part of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge from 2011 to 2012, an ...
. The team finished third in the championship, and Burns took second in the Drivers' Championship for the second year in a row. Burns and Solberg composed Subaru's nominated line-up for the 2001 season with
Markko Märtin Markko Märtin (born 10 November 1975 in Tartu) is a retired rally driver from Estonia, who competed in the World Rally Championship from 2000 until 2005. Career Märtin, as understudy to then-team mates Colin McRae and Carlos Sainz, rose to ...
/ Michael Park and
Toshi Arai is a Japanese rally driver and team owner. He is the first Japanese FIA world champion. Arai was born in Isesaki, Gunma. He made his debut in 1987 and drove for the Subaru World Rally Team in the Group N World Rally Championship from 1997– ...
/Tony Sircombe competing in selected events. Subaru again won the Driver's Championships in 2001 with
Richard Burns Richard Alexander Burns (17 January 1971 – 25 November 2005) was an English rally driver who won the 2001 World Rally Championship, having previously finished runner-up in the series in 1999 and 2000. He also helped Mitsubishi to the world ...
and co-driver Robert Reid. Burns left Subaru for
Peugeot Peugeot (, , ) is a French brand of automobiles owned by Stellantis. The family business that preceded the current Peugeot companies was founded in 1810, with a steel foundry that soon started making hand tools and kitchen equipment, and the ...
at the end of the 2001 season.


2002–2003

For the 2002 season, Burns was replaced by
Tommi Mäkinen Tommi Antero Mäkinen (; born 26 June 1964) is a Finnish racing executive and former driver. Mäkinen is one of the most successful WRC drivers of all time, ranking fifth in rally wins (24) and third in championships (4), tied with Juha Kankkune ...
and co-driver Kaj Lindström. Petter Solberg continued with the team, and Pasi Hagstrom was the team's test driver. Following the October 2001 signing of four time driver's Championship winner Mäkinen, expectations for the team ran high. However, after a season opening win in Monte Carlo, he was only able to finish five more events during the entire season. His teammate, Solberg fared much better, finishing nine events, five of which were podium finishes, including his first ever WRC win, at Rally Great Britain, the season's last round. The win propelled him past Ford's Carlos Sainz into second in the Drivers' Championship. For the 2003 season, the driver line-up remained unchanged from the previous year. Solberg drove the #7 car, Mäkinen the #8 car. The season got off to a poor start, with neither driver finishing the Rallye Monte Carlo. Solberg then scored four outright wins, in Cyprus, Australia, France, and finished the season with his second straight win in
Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...
, securing him the Driver's Championship for himself and co-driver
Phil Mills Phil Mills (born 30 August 1963) is a Welsh rally racing co-driver. He was winner of the 2003 World Rally Championship (WRC), as co-driver to Petter Solberg. Mills was born in Trefeglwys, Powys. He has a place in the Welsh Sports Hall of Fame, ...
, narrowly beating
Sébastien Loeb Sébastien Loeb (; born 26 February 1974) is a French professional rallying, rally, auto racing, racing and rallycross driver. He is the most successful driver in the World Rally Championship (WRC), having won the world championship a record nin ...
by one point. The team only managed to achieve third place in the manufacturers' championship, beaten by Citroën and Peugeot. At the end of the season, Tommi Mäkinen retired from the WRC.


2004–2005

For the 2004 season, it was originally planned that Solberg would be partnered with the returning
Richard Burns Richard Alexander Burns (17 January 1971 – 25 November 2005) was an English rally driver who won the 2001 World Rally Championship, having previously finished runner-up in the series in 1999 and 2000. He also helped Mitsubishi to the world ...
. However the Englishman would never get to return to the team because of a brain tumour he developed in late 2003, and would eventually pass away because of cancer in November 2005.
Guy Wilks Guy Wilks (born 22 January 1981) is a British rally driver. Wilks started rallying at the age of 19, but currently drives for JRM in the FIA World Rallycross Championship. In 2011 Wilks drove for Peugeot UK in the Intercontinental Rally Chall ...
was also approached to join the team for the 2004 season, but missed out on this opportunity as he was under contract to Suzuki. Solberg was therefore joined by Finnish driver
Mikko Hirvonen Mikko Hirvonen (born 31 July 1980) is a Finnish former rally driver, and a current Rally-Raid driver, who drove in the World Rally Championship. He placed third in the drivers' championship and helped Ford to the manufacturers' title in both 2 ...
and his co-driver Jarmo Lehtinen. Subaru managed to consolidate third place in the Manufacturer's Championship again, while Solberg was second in the Driver's Championship, winning five of the season's rallies: New Zealand, Greece, Japan, Italy and a third consecutive win at Rally Wales. Hirvonen ended the season in seventh place, failing to impress the Subaru team management. He was not re-signed for the 2005 season. In 2005,
Petter Solberg Petter Solberg (born 18 November 1974) is a Norwegian former professional rally and rallycross driver. Solberg debuted in the World Rally Championship in 1998 and was signed by the Ford factory team in 1999. The following year, Solberg started ...
again led the team in the #5 car, while Hirvonen was replaced by
Chris Atkinson Chris Atkinson (born 30 November 1979 in Bega, New South Wales, Australia) is a professional rally driver. In the World Rally Championship (WRC), Atkinson drove for the Subaru World Rally Team between 2004 and 2008. His best finish on an indi ...
in the #6 car. The young Australian debuted with the Uddeholm Swedish Rally, and finished third at
Rally Japan Rally Japan (ラリージャパン) is a rally competition held in Hokkaidō, Japan. The event made its debut in the FIA World Rally Championship during the 2004 season. From 2004 to 2007, the event was held on the twisty and narrow gravel roads ...
. Petter Solberg achieved back-to-back victories in Mexico and Sweden, early in the season. He finished the season behind
Sébastien Loeb Sébastien Loeb (; born 26 February 1974) is a French professional rallying, rally, auto racing, racing and rallycross driver. He is the most successful driver in the World Rally Championship (WRC), having won the world championship a record nin ...
, tied for second place with
Marcus Grönholm Marcus Ulf Johan Grönholm (born February 5, 1968) is a Finnish former rally and rallycross driver, being part of a family of the Swedish-speaking population of Finland lineage. His son, Niclas Grönholm, is an upcoming FIA World Rallycross Cha ...
. In the Manufacturer's championship, Subaru only managed to finish fourth overall, ahead of Mitsubishi and Skoda.


2006

Petter Solberg again led the team throughout the 2006 season, with the second car piloted by
Chris Atkinson Chris Atkinson (born 30 November 1979 in Bega, New South Wales, Australia) is a professional rally driver. In the World Rally Championship (WRC), Atkinson drove for the Subaru World Rally Team between 2004 and 2008. His best finish on an indi ...
and co-driver Glenn MacNeall on gravel events, while on tarmac events, it was driven by ex-
Formula One Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...
driver Stéphane Sarrazin. The WRC2006 had several changes from the previous year's car due to rule changes which banned
active differential A differential is a gear train with three drive shafts that has the property that the rotational speed of one shaft is the average of the speeds of the others, or a fixed multiple of that average. Functional description The following descr ...
s as well as water injection, as well as mandating that teams must re-use cars and engines on selected 'pairs' of events. Due to the rule changes, the car was introduced on the first round of the season. Subaru's season got off to a poor start, with Solberg unable to score in the first two rallies due to mechanical failures. Due to the teams lacklustre performance, after a decade of running the team, team boss David Lapworth was replaced by Paul Howarth. Not until the third rally of the season, Rally Mexico, would Petter manage to score, achieving a second-place finish. He picked up another second-place finish at
Rally Argentina The Rally Argentina ( es, Rally de Argentina) is an Argentine rally competition that has been a round of the World Rally Championship, the Intercontinental Rally Challenge, the South American Rally Championship and the Argentine Rally Championshi ...
, and again at Rally Australia. The team finished the season in third place in the manufacturer's championship, while Solberg finished in sixth place in the driver's championship. However, the team was not able to achieve a single win, and achieved podium results only four times. Subaru's 2006 season was characterized as disappointing, and was the subject of a Discovery Channel series called ''Engineering the World Rally''. In the programme, Subaru's dismal season was described as 'The Season from Hell'.


2007

Solberg again led the team for the 2007 season, driving the #7 Impreza. Sarrazin left the team, leaving Chris Atkinson as the single number two driver, piloting the #8 car. Atkinson managed to grab fourth place at the season opening event in Monte Carlo, after passing the works
Ford Ford commonly refers to: * Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford * Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river Ford may also refer to: Ford Motor Company * Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company * Ford F ...
of
Mikko Hirvonen Mikko Hirvonen (born 31 July 1980) is a Finnish former rally driver, and a current Rally-Raid driver, who drove in the World Rally Championship. He placed third in the drivers' championship and helped Ford to the manufacturers' title in both 2 ...
. At the
2007 Rally Portugal The 2007 Vodafone Rally de Portugal was the 41st Rally de Portugal and the fifth round of the 2007 World Rally Championship season. It took place between March 30–April 1, 2007 and consisted of 18 special stages. 61 drivers finished the rally ...
, Solberg came in second, following the Ford cars' disqualification due to the glass in their rear windows being too thin. Following the rally, Atkinson's co-driver, Glenn MacNeall, elected to leave the team, and was replaced by Stéphane Prévot, who had previously been with the team as co-driver for Bruno Thiry. At the
2007 Acropolis Rally Results of Acropolis Rally (''54th BP Ultimate Acropolis Rally of Greece''), 8th round of 2007 World Rally Championship, was run on May 31 - June 3: __TOC__ Results Retirements * François Duval - engine failure (SS4/5); * Leszek Kuzaj ...
Solberg managed to achieve a podium position. After the summer break, the team was joined at the
2007 Rally Finland The ''57th Neste Oil Rally Finland'' was the 9th round of the 2007 World Rally Championship. It was run on 2–5 August 2007 and based in Jyväskylä, Finland. Results Retirements * Kristian Sohlberg - rolled (SS2); * Jari-Matti Latva ...
by
Xavier Pons Xavier "Xevi" Pons Puigdillers (born 21 January 1980) is a Spanish rally driver who competed in the World Rally Championship from 2003 to 2014. Career Pons started his racing career on motorcycles and won the Spanish enduro national championship ...
and co-driver Xavier Amigo, driving a third car, #25, not nominated for manufacturer points. However, in the rally, Solberg had to retire on day two, after monstrous handling and steering problems which the team engineers were unable to deal with. Solberg finished fifth in
Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
, calling it "the most difficult rally he has ever done." At the final event of the season,
Wales Rally GB Wales Rally GB was the most recent iteration of the United Kingdom's premier international motor rally, which ran under various names since the first event held in 1932. It was consistently a round of the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) calen ...
, Solberg won the battle for fourth with
Dani Sordo Daniel "Dani" Sordo Castillo (born 2 May 1983) is a Spanish rally driver. He competes in the World Rally Championship for Hyundai Motorsport. He achieved his first WRC victory at the 2013 Rallye Deutschland. Career Sordo began in motocross wh ...
, propelling Subaru to third place in the manufacturer's standings. In the driver's championship, Solberg came in 5th, while Atkinson took 7th. Richard Taylor called the season a "poor" one, with Subaru only achieving two podium finishes, and no overall wins for the second year in a row. Phil Mills called it the "second season from hell."


2008

Petter Solberg and Chris Atkinson continued with the team through the 2008 season. Xavier Pons left the team. With the FIA mandated switch to Pirelli tires, tyre mousse had been banned, and fewer compounds were available. At the first rally of the season, the
2008 Monte Carlo Rally The 2008 Monte Carlo Rally, officially 76ème Rallye Automobile de Monte-Carlo, was the 76th Monte Carlo Rally and the first round of the 2008 World Rally Championship season. The rally took place during January 24–27, 2008, beginning with two ...
, Atkinson scored his first podium finish on tarmac, after a close battle with
François Duval François Duval (born 18 November 1980) is a Belgian rally driver. Career 1999–2004 Francois Duval is the son of former rally driver Rene Duval. With victories in four events Duval won the Belgian Citroën Saxo Challenge title in 1999. He b ...
while Solberg finished in fifth. In the
2008 Swedish Rally The 2008 Swedish Rally, officially ''57th Uddeholm Swedish Rally'', was the second round of 2008 World Rally Championship season. It was the season's first and only event held on snow- and ice-covered gravel roads. The rally took place during Febru ...
, Solberg finished in fourth place while Atkinson finished in 21st position following a spin on Special Stage 3, which cost him over 15 minutes. Immediately after the Swedish Rally, the team completed a gravel test in Spain, in preparation for Rally Mexico, the last test using the WRC2007 car. At the
2008 Rally Mexico 8 (eight) is the natural number following 7 and preceding 9. In mathematics 8 is: * a composite number, its proper divisors being , , and . It is twice 4 or four times 2. * a power of two, being 2 (two cubed), and is the first number of t ...
, Atkinson placed second, his best ever result. Solberg was forced to retire on the second day after a driveshaft failure to his front left wheel. He continued under SupeRally rules on Sunday, finishing 12th. Going into the final day of the 2008 Rally Argentina, Solberg and Atkinson were comfortably in second and third position, poised to put two cars on the podium, a feat Subaru has not accomplished in several years. However, on Special Stage 19, Petter's car suffered an electrical failure, forcing him to retire. Atkinson inherited Solberg's position, and achieved a second-place finish for the second consecutive time. At the 2008 Jordan Rally, on SS6, Solberg's retired after his Impreza suffered from a damper failure, which then spilled oil, lighting a fire under the hood of the car. Solberg restarted under SupeRally rules on Saturday, but crashed on the day's final stage after brake problems. Atkinson managed to secure a third podium in a row, following the suspension failure of Latvala, and the retirements of Solberg and Loeb.


Withdrawal from WRC

On 16 December 2008, it was announced that Subaru would no longer be competing in the World Rally Championships. The decision was taken by Subaru's parent company,
Fuji Heavy Industries is a Japanese multinational corporation and conglomerate primarily involved in both terrestrial and aerospace transportation manufacturing. It is best known for its line of Subaru automobiles. Founded in 1953, the company was formerly named ( ...
(FHI), partly as a result of the economic downturn but also because it was felt Subaru had achieved its sporting and marketing objectives. Ikuo Mori denied that alterations to the WRC technical regulations in 2010 or a rumoured deterioration in the working relationship with
Prodrive Prodrive is a British motorsport and advanced engineering group based in Banbury, Oxfordshire, England. It designs, constructs and races cars for companies and teams such as Aston Martin, Bahrain Raid Xtreme and Team X44. Its advanced technolo ...
had any impact on the decision. He also said that the possibility of a Subaru car back in the top category of WRC in the future is not zero, but recent events have cited that Subaru will be making a return to WRC.


Vehicle development


Group A Leone, 1980–1989

As Subaru Rally Team Japan, Subaru entered the first World Rally with the second generation
Group A Group A is a set of motorsport regulations administered by the FIA covering production derived vehicles intended for competition, usually in touring car racing and rallying. In contrast to the short-lived Group B and Group C, Group A vehicles ...
Subaru Leone The Subaru Leone is a compact car produced by the Japanese car manufacturer Subaru from 1971 to 1994. The word ''leone'' is Italian for lion. It was released as a replacement for the Subaru 1000 and was the predecessor of the Subaru Impreza. Al ...
DL at the 1980 Safari Rally. In 1984 the model was changed to the 3rd generation Leone coupé, one year later installed with a turbo. The other model used simultaneously with the coupé turbo until 1989 was the Leone sedan RX Turbo.


Group A Legacy RS, 1989–1993

Prodrive's vehicle development began upon the team's formation in September 1989, creating the
Group A Group A is a set of motorsport regulations administered by the FIA covering production derived vehicles intended for competition, usually in touring car racing and rallying. In contrast to the short-lived Group B and Group C, Group A vehicles ...
Subaru Legacy RS rally car, based on the road going Subaru Legacy sedan. The Legacy was powered by a longitudinally mounted boxer engine, giving it a low centre of gravity. Already equipped with a symmetrical all wheel drive system, it made a good starting point for a rally car. David Lapworth described the development of the car as a "steep learning curve." The car lacked power and a weak transmission and braking system also hampered the car. To correct its flaws, Prodrive completed a new car, the 1992 Legacy RS, which featured a totally redesigned fuel injection system, during the 1991 season, introduced on the season's last rally. The team campaigned the 1992 Legacy during the first part of the 1993 season, and on its last rally, achieved the car's first and only win.


Subaru Impreza, 1994–2008


Vehicle Preparation

Before each rally, each bodyshell is completely rebuilt. In 1993, each bodyshell rebuild took 160 hours. In 2003 it took 650 man hours. In 2006 it took 780 hours. Image:Rp4 subaru.jpg, Burns' WRC2001 Image:Mikko Hirvonen - 2004 Cyprus Rally.jpg, Hirvonen's WRC2004 Image:Chris Atkinson - 2006 Rally Japan.jpg, Atkinson's WRC2006 Image:SubaruWRC-concept.jpg, Prototype of the WRC2008


Technical personnel

Graham Moore is the overall chief engineer. Moore was a member of the team from 1991 to 2002, and then rejoined the team in 2006. Jonathan Carey is the chief engineer for
Petter Solberg Petter Solberg (born 18 November 1974) is a Norwegian former professional rally and rallycross driver. Solberg debuted in the World Rally Championship in 1998 and was signed by the Ford factory team in 1999. The following year, Solberg started ...
and Richard Thompson is the chief engineer for
Chris Atkinson Chris Atkinson (born 30 November 1979 in Bega, New South Wales, Australia) is a professional rally driver. In the World Rally Championship (WRC), Atkinson drove for the Subaru World Rally Team between 2004 and 2008. His best finish on an indi ...
. Chris Wattam is the chief mechanic.


See also

* David Richards *
BP Ford World Rally Team The Ford World Rally Team, also known as the ''Ford Motor Co. Team'' prior to 2005, is Ford Motor Company's full factory World Rally Championship team. In its current form, it has been a competitor since the 1997 season, when Ford Motor Compa ...
* Suzuki World Rally Team *
Citroën Total World Rally Team Citroën () is a French automobile brand. The "Automobiles Citroën" manufacturing company was founded in March 1919 by André Citroën. Citroën is owned by Stellantis since 2021 and previously was part of the PSA Group after Peugeot acquired ...


Notes

Note on vehicle nomenclature: Prodrive and Subaru have different nomenclature for the same vehicles. In information published by the Subaru World Rally Team, for cars produced from 1997 to 2000, the car is referred to as the WRCXX, with XX being the last two digits of the year it was produced, e.g. WRC99. For years 2000 forward, the car is referred to as the WRCXXXX, XXXX being the year it was produced, e.g. WRC2003. Prodrive, however, refers to the cars using a different nomenclature. The earliest record of this occurred with the WRC99, which Prodrive referred to as the S5. Each following car got a new designation: the WRC2000 is equivalent to the S6, WRC2001 is equivalent to the S7, WRC2002 is equivalent to the S8, WRC2003 is equivalent to the S9, WRC2004 is equivalent to the S10, WRC2005 is equivalent to the S11, WRC2006 is equivalent to the S12, and the WRC2007 is equivalent to the S12b, and the WRC2008 is equivalent to the S14. The S12b Imprezas that were used in 2008 before the S14 came, due to some differences, are sometimes referred to as S12c; however, this nomenclature is not official. This article will use the Subaru World Rally Team's nomenclature.


Sources


External links

{{World Rally Championship Constructors' Champions Subaru World Rally Championship teams Apax Partners companies