2004 SUBARU WORLD RALLY TEAM
TEAM 1
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Petter Solberg |
| Position: Driver | |
| First Rally: 1996 | |
| WRC Debut: 1998, Sweden | |
| Phil Mills |
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|
Position: Co-Driver |
|
| First Rally: 1983 | |
| WRC Debut: 1994, Rally of Jordan | |
TEAM 2
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Mikko Hirvonen |
| Position: Driver | |
| First Rally: 1998 | |
| WRC Debut: 2002, Rally Finland | |
| Jarmo Lehtinen |
 |
|
Position: Co-Driver |
|
| First Rally: 1988 | |
| WRC Debut: 1997, Rally Finland | |
SUBARU IN INTERNATIONAL RALLYING:
THE FORMATIVE YEARS
ESTABLISHING A WRC LEGEND
Rally events test drivers and equipment to the maximum. Through the 25 years in which Subaru has been involved, rallying has proven the Subaru product. In turn, the product has benefited from its preparation for rally racing’s extremes of temperature, road surface and terrain. Racing does improve the breed!
By establishing itself in rallying two and one-half decades ago, Subaru laid the foundation for its performance vehicles today.
4WD, POSSUM AND PER
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Subaru brought its vehicles into the international rally arena in 1980, long before its fruitful partnership with Prodrive, and long before its championship Impreza models. With the World Rally Championship (WRC) itself in its infancy at that time, Subaru took steps that would eventually net championships both for its drivers and for itself as a manufacturer.
Prior to 1989, Subaru vehicles won their classes in international rally events such as the Kenyan Safari. Among the Subaru models campaigned were Leones, Swingbacks and Touring Wagons. Rallying legends drove some of these vehicles, including Peter “Possum” Bourne (see profile below), who competed for Subaru in the WRC starting in 1983 and Per Eklund, competing in WRC events in 1987.
Swedish driver Per Eklund was an established championship and rallycross veteran who added legitimacy to early Subaru efforts. He drove a Leone RX Turbo to fifth place at the Safari Rally in 1987. In 1992 and 1993, he joined the Subaru WRC team for the Swedish Rally. Eklund was only one of many rally legends to drive for Subaru.
 Subaru rally efforts prior to 1990 demonstrated future winning form. |
TURNING POINT
The introduction of the Legacy in 1989 and commitment to full-time WRC competition by Subaru in the early 1990s served as the turning point for Subaru. It grew to be a major force in the sport. In 1989, then president of Subaru Tecnica International Ryuichiro Kuze established a partnership with Prodrive, the British motorsport company that had experience in rallying with Porsche, MG Rover and BMW. That partnership has proven to be a highly successful and lasting one for both Subaru and Prodrive. Future issues of Drive Performance will detail more of this partnership history, including the cars and stars that have made the Subaru World Rally Team great!
DRIVER PROFILE: PETER “POSSUM” BOURNE
Great names in motorsports often are associated with their sponsors and/or the vehicles they drive. One such match is “Possum” Bourne and Subaru.
Peter Bourne’s motorsports career paralleled the development of Subaru as a manufacturer of performance vehicles. Their relationship was longer than that of any other driver who has raced for Subaru. The list of Bourne’s official WRC wins all have the name Subaru listed as the manufacturer, starting with the 1983 Sanyo Rally of New Zealand.
Born in 1956, New Zealander Peter Bourne earned his nickname when he was a teenager. He rolled a car when avoiding a possum on the road. “Possum” Bourne competed in his first rally at the age of 23, and he, like most racers, struggled on a limited budget until he attracted the attention (and backing) of New Zealand’s Subaru distributor.
When Subaru introduced the new Legacy at the end of the 1980s, “Possum” Bourne was central to its rallying success, especially in the southern hemisphere. For example, as the works factory driver for the Asia-Pacific Rally Championship in 1993, he won the Driver’s Championship title.
“Possum” remained a Subaru rally driver the rest of his life. Career championships included:
| 1993 | Asia Pacific Rally Championship for Drivers in a Legacy RS |
| 1994 | Asia Pacific Rally Championship for Drivers in an Impreza 555 |
| 1996-2002 | Australian National Champion |
| 2000 | Asia Pacific Rally Championship for Drivers in an Impreza WRX |
For 2003, Bourne was launching his own Subaru team in the World Production Car Championship. But tragically, Peter “Possum” Bourne was lost in a road accident on April 30 last year at the age of 47.