Richard Burns (1971 - 2005)
2001, FIA World Rally Champion
Ten WRC Rally victories
Winning the 2001 title
"I feel absolutely fantastic! There was massive pressure and to come through it like this is brilliant. I'm overwhelmed by this experience it's been a great team performance, so many people have worked so hard for this result and we all deserve it!"
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Alan McGuinness, Group N Product and Development Manager
"I first worked with Richard when he drove a Prodrive support vehicle on WRC events and then later when he progressed to a Prodrive Subaru Legacy on the British Rally Championship. After that I worked on a one-to-one basis preparing and planning the recce for WRC events. One thing I'll always remember is that he was a perfectionist from start to finish and worked hard to make sure everything was, in his mind, as good as it could get. From the food he ate and his training to his driving on the recce, he did everything to the best of his ability. The easiest option was never the best option to Richard - in fact, I don't think easy was part of his vocabulary! - he always went for the option he felt would make the most improvement to his performance. In this way he made a big difference to the team. He was an enormous driving force and always very demanding (even to the point of wanting fresh water in the car on recces!) but the team understood why it was important. The raw dedication, commitment and attention to detail really set him apart as the ultimate world class driver. He and Robert were one of the most dedicated crews in the business. I always felt he would return to Prodrive one day, but sadly this will never happen."
David Lapworth, Technical Director
"I first met Richard as a teenager at the 1990 RAC Rally. He was your typical enthusiastic skinny adolescent - to be honest, he was the only driver we actually told to put on weight! As a driver Richard was incredibly calculating. He knew his reserves, but it was when he was forced to attack that you really saw how aggressive he could be. Portugal 2001 was a classic example. He had the brand new car and had three problems to lose two to three minutes, but fought back three times and went flat-out for the win. In Argentina 1999 as well he had a problem with the semi-automatic gearbox on a road section and very nearly didn't make it in time to the start of the stage. Nevertheless he set an extremely quick time as he was angry and out of his strategy and had to prove a point. He was definitely one of the most intelligent and strategic drivers I have known, but unusually for drivers with such an interest in cars he never tried to get involved in the engineering side. He would tell us the problem and let us get on with analysing and solving it. We had a similar circle of friends and there was a difference between the professional and the personal Richard. As a driver he was very demanding, but tended not to talk about cars as much when away from the scene. He was a rounded, determined person."
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| Richard kissing the bonnet of his Impreza WRC2001 |
| Copyright © STI |
Tom Hunt, Test Team Manager
"I worked with Richard when he started at Prodrive when he was a junior World Championship driver coming to tests in the early 90s. He was driving a Legacy at the same time as competing in the British Championship. His attitude gave a step by step improvement and by the time he was World Champion he had turned into a very professional driver. Even at an early age, Richard was very focused on his career and determined to become World Champion. When he teamed up with Robert they immediately made a very good team and gelled together extremely well to the point where I can't imagine him being with anyone else. Of all the drivers they never argued, always went out together and got on very well. He was professional to the very end."
Simon Steele, Technical Account Manager
"I first worked with Richard when he competed in the British Rally Championship as a teenager. I was the chief mechanic, but was also responsible for the servicing and the operations management, kind of like the operations director. I went on to do the same role in the Asia-Pacific Championship and again in the WRC. In a way we progressed and grew up together. He was one of the smartest drivers I knew, always thinking and committed. You don't become a World Champion unless you are dedicated, but he never forgot that it was a team effort. He was a good team player."
Nigel Riddle, Motorsport Planning and Purchasing Manager
"I ran a team for Richard when he was competing in the British Championship in the early 90s. He was only 18 or 19, but his dedication and determination was apparent even then. He'd drive in the British events one weekend, but would help out at World Championship events doing anything to get experience - driving a van, or a chase car. Richard was much the same all the time, he thought about the job, got his tactics right and when he had a plan he'd stuck to it. Even back then, Richard knew what he wanted and how to get it. He and Robert would set a pace and go at that pace. Little would make him change his mind, which is why he was so good on the Safari Rally. He was a very intelligent driver, always very calm and very good with the team. He built up a good rapport with the mechanics, which shows why so many people kept in touch with him after he left."
Ken Rees, Rally Team Event Co-ordinator
"I first worked with Richard during the mid 90s when he competed in the Asia-Pacific Rally Championship. I was always very impressed by his dedication to the job, even at that stage in his career. I was then fortunate to work with Richard on all of his wins with the Subaru World Rally Team, including 2001 when he took the drivers' title. His commitment to everything, from his training to his driving discipline, was exemplary and he will, in my mind, certainly rate amongst the world's best champions."
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2006
2005
