But Kuze never gave up. Because he was strongly confident, he believed that "They were doing everything necessary to take SUBARU to the top of the world." Being an engineer, Kuze knew the Legacy and the Impreza both held a high level of potential of becoming the world's best. He did not take kindly to losing. Therefore, it was no surprise to him when Colin McRae won the "Rally of New Zealand" with a Legacy in August 1993, and SUBARU started its long and illustrious journey of winning in the WRC from that point.



After winning the "Manufacturer's" title three years in a row in 1997, Kuze voluntary retired the STI presidency. After raising SUBARU to the top, he shifted his passion to securing a round of the WRC in Japan. In 2002, he left all his STI positions and became a representative of ISC Japan, the commercial rights holders of the WRC. He again wasted no effort, only this time it was beyond that of a "manufacturer." Thus, in 2004, when the WRC Rally Japan round finally became a reality, Kuze was overjoyed. He had already been diagnosed with cancer, but energetically walked around the service park greeting many people, whether they had been former enemies or not. Kuze was pleased because another one of his strong wishes had come true.

About 6 months after that, on March 9th 2005, he silently passed away. He was 74. This news was brought to the field of Rally Mexico where SWRT was facing the debut race of new Impreza WRC2005. Old engineers and mechanics reminisced about the days with Kuze and how he always cheered them up with a smile on his face - no matter how defeated they were. All members of SWRT wore mourning ribbons and faced the battle at hand. Petter Solberg took the wheel of the Impreza WRC2005 with "Tribute to R. Kuze" written on the machine, and held onto the top position from the opening stage, not once letting anything interfere with his drive to the finish. He dedicated the victory to Kuze, now resting in heaven.

On the other hand, the desk that lost its master had a hand-written stage time chart prepared by Kuze. He truly was one who never gave up. Nowadays his "Never give up" spirit still remains in Subaru's vehicle design　policy.
A man with a
"Never give up" was the principal motto of Mr. Ryuichiro Kuze. The founder of STI, "Kuze" managed SUBARU in its motorsport endeavours, established the SUBARU World Rally Team, and with the first Legacy, took on the challenge of the WRC. He faced defeat during the first two and a half years, but this man never gave up.
He always thought, "It's nonsense for car sellers not to participate in motorsport." Back then, not many in the upper management at SUBARU shared this view, and so Kuze struggled alone. When serving as section chief of the product planning department in 1973, he made possible SUBARU's first ever World Rally Championship entry. He entered 2 Leone cars in the "Southern Cross" rally, known as a cruelly difficult race. Kuze competed as a co-driver on the rally, racing across the Australian landscape calculating the distance by counting the telephone poles at the roadside. Also, when volunteers from an experimental team from SUBARU started competing on the Safari Rally from 1980, he supported them well beyond his company position. Even then, the company's understanding of his motorsport activities and their importance remained low.

But the turning point came in the late 1980s. Ironically, it was due to the large deficit the company held at the time. Back then, in Europe and America SUBARU was considered the "farmer's 4WD", which meant "simple and sturdy, but slow." 		This kept vehicle sales in the doldrums. To overcome the situation, a new product in the form of the first Legacy was manufactured. SUBARU was confident in this new machine released in February of 1989 that exuded the philosophy of the company's car manufacturing and racing abilities. But nothing could start until the market accepted the car. To make that happen, they had to prove that this car could perform.

"A mountain has been moved" felt Kuze. SUBARU finally decided to officially use motorsport as a platform on which to prove the quality of their cars. In April 1988, STI was established as a 100% wholly owned subsidiary of SUBARU, functioning as their motorsport arm. Kuze, the firm's first president, succeeded in taking the Legacy to a world record for 100,000kms continuous driving, officially authorized by the FIA, as his first major assignment. Then in 1990, after many appeals, he embarked on the brand's journey into the WRC.

"For sure the car is fast - but it just can't win," was the kind of argument heard repeatedly. "We're going to win the next race," he said fighting to earn a prize for their activities. Some called him aggressive.