In 1999, long-time SUBARU driver McRae left the team. The new lineup became Richard Burns, a driver who had notably developed; Juha Kankkunen, a veteran driver and four-time WRC champion; and Bruno Thiry, a tarmac specialist. The Impreza rally car also changed, receiving several electronically controlled components and technical innovations.
In the opening rally at Monte Carlo, Kankkunen got off to an excellent start, taking out second place, but the first half of the race proved very tough. At the end of Round 6, Tour de Corse, first placeholder Toyota was on 61 points, while SUBARU was a sluggish fourth on 20 points.
However, the second half of the year saw these troubles start to retreat. Starting with starting with Kankkunen and Burns' 1-2 finish in Round 7 in Argentina, Burns went on to win at the Acropolis, Kankkunen finished second in New Zealand, and finally Kankkunen and Burns achieved their second 1-2 finish in Finland. At this stage, SUBARU had risen to second place in the point rankings. At Round 11 China, Burns placed second and Kankkunen fourth. Finally, Burns was victorious in Round 13 in Australia. On top of this, Burns and Kankkunen recorded a 1-2 finish in the final rally in Britain. In the second half of the year, SUBARU showed overwhelming strength with victories in five out of eight rallies as well as three 1-2 finishes, but due to the slow start in the first half of the year, the Manufacturers' Title went to Toyota, while Makinen captured the Drivers' Title.
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Richard Burns
