SUBARU IN INTERNATIONAL RALLYING: 1993-1996
BUILDING A CHAMPION

Team colors were now blue and yellow, and the cars carried their new tobacco sponsor’s “555” logo.

1993 DRIVERS/CO-DRIVERS Ari Vatanen/Bruno Berglund Colin McRae/Derek Ringer OTHER DRIVERS: Markku Alen (Portugal, 1,000 Lakes), Possum Bourne (New Zealand, Australia), Richard Burns (Great Britain), Piero Liatti (Sanremo), Alister McRae (Great Britain), Per Eklund (Sweden), Hannu Mikkola (Sweden)

THE 1993 SEASON – WITH SUBARU BLUE WINNING ITS FIRST WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP EVENT AND THE LAUNCH OF THE SUBARU IMPREZA – MARKED THE TURNING POINT FOR SUBARU AS A COMPETITOR.

During the four seasons of 1993 through 1996, Subaru established itself as a major force in the World Rally Championship (WRC) – a position that it has held since. As in any form of motorsports, building a team into a contender was the result of having the right vehicles in the hands of the right personnel.

1993 – THE CHALLENGE

The Subaru team started the 1993 season fielding production Legacy vehicles. Team colors were now blue and yellow, and the cars carried their new tobacco sponsor’s “555” logo. Ari Vatanen and Colin McRae remained the team’s two main drivers from the previous season, while others raced for the team at selected WRC events.

The first rally, in Sweden, served as a positive omen, with Colin McRae taking third. In the eighth rally of the year, in New Zealand, McRae gave Subaru its first win in the WRC. Ironically, that was the Legacy model’s final race for the team, which then changed over to the Impreza 555.

1994 DRIVERS/CO-DRIVERS Carlos Sainz/Luis Moya Colin McRae/Derek Ringer OTHER DRIVERS: Patrick Njiru (Safari), Richard Burns (Safari, Great Britain), Possum Bourne (New Zealand), Piero Liatti (Sanremo)

The new Impreza model made a lot of sense for Subaru. It had a platform similar to the Legacy, but it was smaller, better handling and more powerful. None of the differences in specifications and dimensions between the Legacy and Impreza were that dramatic on their own, but they made a significant difference in combination – especially at a time when WRC regulations held modifications of stock vehicles to a minimum.

On its maiden run, at the 1,000 Lakes WRC event in Finland, Ari Vatanen drove the Subaru Impreza 555 to a second-place finish. By the end of the season, Ari Vatanen was seventh in points for the Drivers’ Championship with 38, and Colin McRae was fifth with 50. Subaru finished third in the Manufacturers’ Championship.

Meanwhile, Subaru was faring well in the hands of Possum Bourne. The perennial Subaru driver from New Zealand won the 1993 FIA Asia-Pacific Rally Championship.

Chris Atkinson drives for the 2005 Subaru World Rally Team. He is the first full-time Australian driver in the World Rally Championship.

1994 – MAKING A MARK

Carlos Sainz and Colin McRae were the Subaru team drivers for 1994. Sainz had been world champion twice, and adding him to the team indicated how serious Subaru was about its commitment to winning. In addition to his driving prowess, Sainz was excellent at helping to set up a competitive rally car.

Of the 1994 WRC’s 10 rounds the Subaru team won three – Sainz at the Acropolis Rally in Greece and McRae in New Zealand and Great Britain. Sainz came in second in the Drivers’ Championship with 99 points and McRae fourth with 49 points. In the Manufacturers’ Championship, Subaru was second – only 11 points from first.

Once again, Possum Bourne of New Zealand won the FIA Asia-Pacific Championship.

1995 – EFFORT YIELDS RESULTS

For the second straight year, Carlos Sainz and Colin McRae led the Subaru Impreza 555 team. Sainz set the tone for the year by winning the first WRC rally, in Monte Carlo. New FIA regulations reduced turbocharger air restrictors, which were intended to slow down the cars. But Subaru redesigned its engine as a countermeasure. Modifications included a revised camshaft design and compression ratio, and Sainz proved the engine strong enough to win.

1995 DRIVERS/CO-DRIVERS Carlos Sainz/Luis Moya Colin McRae/Derek Ringer OTHER DRIVERS: Piero Liatti (Monte Carlo, Corsica, Catalunya), Richard Burns (Portugal, New Zealand, Great Britain), Possum Bourne (New Zealand, Australia)

Between Carlos Sainz and Colin McRae, the Subaru Impreza 555 team won four of the season’s eight WRC events. At age 27, Colin McRae became the WRC’s youngest Drivers’ Champion with 90 points. Carlos Sainz took second with 85 points, and Subaru ranked first in the Manufacturers’ Championship. The effort made by Subaru and the team through the previous WRC seasons paid off, jumping from their first win in 1993 to taking both the Drivers’ and Manufacturers’ Championships two years later.

1996 – DEFENDING THE CROWN

In racing, everything seems to go right during the championship years. But other years have their trials. To some extent, that was true for Subaru and its WRC team for 1996.

1996 DRIVERS/CO-DRIVERS Colin McRae/Derek Ringer Kenneth Eriksson/Staffan Parmander Piero Liatti/Mario Ferfoglia OTHER DRIVERS: Didier Auriol (Sweden), Patrick Njiru (Safari)

Colin McRae returned as lead driver for the season, with Kenneth Eriksson and Piero Liatti rounding out the Subaru Impreza 555 team. McRae’s first victory came in the fourth round – Acropolis – and then he won the last two rounds – Sanremo and Catalunya. The Drivers’ Championship eluded McRae, who finished second to Tommi Makinen driving for Mitsubishi. However, Subaru finished first in the Manufacturers’ Championship, thanks to McRae’s wins and consistent podium finishes by Eriksson and Liatti.

Kenneth Eriksson also won the 1996 FIA Asia-Pacific Rally Championship.

AND INTO THE FUTURE

Frenchman Stéphane Sarrazin is the first Formula 1 driver to make a full-time switch to the WRC, driving for the 2005 Subaru World Rally Team.

The 1996 season closed the book on WRC contenders driving cars that were close to stock in their specifications. For 1997, WRC regulations would employ an entirely new formula that would give the teams expanded latitude in design and materials.

That’s where coverage of Subaru in international rallying will start in the next issue of Drive Performance.