The Subaru World Rally Team (SWRT) was Subaru's World Rally Championship (WRC) team. It used a distinctive blue with yellow colour scheme that is a throwback to the sponsorship deal with State Express 555, a BAT cigarette brand popular in Asia. 555 logos were found on Subaru cars from 1993 to 2003, although less prevalent since 1999 due to BAT's participation in Formula One with British American Racing. Subaru's WRC efforts date back to 1980, however, in 1989 British firm Prodrive took over its operations, and its base moved from Japan to Banbury, England.
Subaru used the team to showcase its symmetrical all wheel drive technology. It has credited the increased sales of its vehicles, especially the Subaru Impreza, with its success in the World Rally Championship, in addition to popularizing its all-wheel-drive system.
Its 2008 season drivers were Petter Solberg with co-driver Phil Mills, and Chris Atkinson with co-driver Stéphane Prévot. David Richards was the team's Principal, and a founder and chairman of Prodrive. Paul Howarth was the team's operations director and team manager. He replaced David Lapworth in 2006. Richard Taylor was the team's managing director.
The team was a strong one, competing at the top of the WRC for over a decade. It won the manufacturers' championship three times in 1995, 1996, and 1997, and the drivers' championship three times, in 1995, 2001, and 2003. Its Impreza model won a record 46 rallies. The team withdrew from WRC competition at the end of the 2008 season due to the 2008 financial crisis.
Racing history
Although Subaru had participated in the World Rally Championship at various times since 1980, it was not until September 1989, that the Subaru World Rally Team, in its current form, was created. Subaru Tecnica International (STi) president Ryuichiro Kuze forged a partnership with the British firm Prodrive to prepare and enter the recently introduced Legacy RS in the World Rally Championship.
1970–1979 Subaru's initial forays into the World Rally Championship were with the Fuji Heavy Industries entries, these were pretty much confined to endurance events like the Safari (or non World event, the Australian Southern Cross rally) and were with the small front wheel drive FF-1 (1000cc) and then the Subaru GSR coupe (homologation special) as first a 1300cc and then a 1400cc car. These were with the 4 cylinder Boxer engine of the same EA family that later grew to 1800cc and also with a turbo version.
1980–1989 Subaru's next forays into the World Rally Championship were with Subaru Rally Team Japan, run by Noriyuki Koseki, the founder of Subaru Tecnica International. The first Subaru car entered a world rally at the 1980 Safari Rally and since that, the team only participated in a few events per season, driving the Subaru Leone. A Subaru SRX was entered in the Cyprus rally in 1980. Drivers in the early years included Ari Vatanen, Per Eklund, Shekhar Mehta, Mike Kirkland, Possum Bourne, and Harald Demuth. The best result and only podium was achieved by Bourne at the 1987 Rally New Zealand by finishing third. With the start of the Prodrive effort, the teams competed in parallel, before being folded into each other.
1990–1992 Subaru entered its first Prodrive developed car, the Group A Subaru Legacy RS in the 1990 season, piloted by Finnish driver Markku Alén. Alen remained with the team through the 1991 season. His successes included 4th place in the 1990 Rally Finland, also known as the 1000 Lakes Rally, and in 1991, a 3rd and two 4th places. For the 1992 season, Subaru only entered seven of the fourteen WRC events, preferring to demonstrate the car's ability on gravel rallies. The drivers for 1992 were Finn Ari Vatanen with co-driver Bruno Berglund and Scotsman Colin McRae with co-driver Derek Ringer. Both drivers were able to achieve second-place finishes. Colin McRae also won the British Rally Championship in 1991 and 1992.
1993
For the 1993 World Rally Championship season, the Subaru team debuted its now distinctive blue and yellow color scheme, along with a new title sponsor, State Express 555. Ari Vatanen and Colin McRae remained the primary drivers, with the season being McRae's first complete year of World Rally Championship competition. Markku Alén, returned part-time to the team after a brief stint at Toyota in 1992, and took 4th for Subaru in Portugal. McRae took the first win for Subaru, at the eighth event of the season, Rally New Zealand, the last outing for the Group A Subaru Legacy rally cars. At the next event, Rally Finland, Subaru debuted their new Prodrive developed Group A Impreza rally car, known as the Impreza 555, driven by Vatanen and Alén. Alén crashed on the first stage, and did not drive for Subaru again. Vatanen, however, showed the car to be quick, even leading the rally at one point, and managing a second-place finish. At the end of the season, Vatanen took seventh in the Drivers' Championship, and Colin McRae finished in fifth with 50. Subaru finished third in the Manufacturers' Championship. Other drivers also competed for the Subaru team at selected events. New Zealand driver Possum Bourne, veteran of Subaru's early days, joined the team for the Rally New Zealand and Rally Australia. Piero Liatti competed in Rallye Sanremo and Rally Great Britain. Drivers Richard Burns and Alister McRae had competed in the British Championship, which Burns won, and appeared again in Legacies for Rally Great Britain, where Burns finished seventh and McRae tenth. Drivers Per Eklund and Hannu Mikkola drove for the team in Rally Sweden.
1994–1995 In 1994, former World Rally Drivers' Champion Carlos Sainz joined the team with co-driver Luis Moya, and took the Impreza 555 to its first win at the Acropolis Rally in Greece. It later took wins in New Zealand and Great Britain with McRae at the wheel. In the Championship for Manufacturers, they achieved a second-place finish, behind Toyota, with Sainz placing second in the driver's championship, and McRae placing fourth. Other drivers for the Subaru team in 1994 included Patrick Njiru, competing in the Safari Rally, Richard Burns in the Safari Rally and Rally Great Britain, Possum Bourne in New Zealand, and Piero Liatti at Rallye Sanremo.
For the 1995 season, the primary drivers remained Sainz in the number 5 car and McRae in the number 4 car. Sainz won the season opening round at the Rallye Monte Carlo, while McRae crashed out of the event. At Rally Sweden, Sainz, McRae, and third driver Mats Jonsson all retired with engine trouble. Sainz won again at the Rally Portugal, while McRae finished in third place. At the Rallye de France, Sainz, McRae, and third driver Piero Liatti finished in the fourth, fifth, and sixth places respectively. At Rally New Zealand, McRae took his first win of the season. Other drivers for the team included Possum Bourne, who finished in seventh place, and Richard Burns who retired with a mechanical failure. At the Rally Australia, McRae took second place. Sainz retired after his radiator failed, while third driver Bourne retired after an accident. At the Rallye Catalunya, Subaru locked out the podium with a 1–2–3 finish. Sainz took first, McRae took second, and third driver Piero Liatti finished third. Sainz's first-place finish in Catalunya left he and McRae tied for points going into the last event of the season, the RAC Rally of Great Britain. McRae won out, taking first place at his home event, clinching his first and only Driver's Championship, a first for the Subaru team. Sainz finished close behind in second place, giving him second in the Championship, and third driver Richard Burns finished in third place, giving the team a second consecutive 1–2–3 finish. Between McRae and Sainz the team managed to win five of the season's eight rallies for Subaru, winning the team its first Constructors Championship. At the end of the season, Sainz left Subaru to join Ford World Rallye Sport.
1996
For the 1996 World Rally Championship season, Colin McRae was again the lead driver for Subaru. Following his 1995 Championship victory, his Impreza 555 wore the #1 plate. He was joined by team drivers Kenneth Eriksson, in the #2 car, and Piero Liatti, with their co-drivers, Staffan Parmander and Mario Ferfoglia, respectively. At the first event of the season, Rally Sweden, McRae took third, Eriksson took fifth, and Liatti took twelfth. 1994 World Drivers' Champion Didier Auriol also drove for the Subaru team in Sweden, taking his #3 car to tenth place. At the second round, the Safari Rally, Liatti's number was changed from #10 to #3. He took fifth place. McRae took fourth while Eriksson took second. At the Rally Indonesia, Liatti finished in second place, while McRae and Eriksson both retired following accidents. McRae's first victory of the season was at the Acropolis Rally, the fourth round of the championship. Liatti and Erikkson placed fourth and fifth respectively. Eriksson took third and Liatti fifth at Rally Argentina. McRae crashed out of Rally Argentina and the following event, Rally Finland. Liatti didn't compete in Finland, though Eriksson managed to finish in 5th place. McRae, Eriksson, and Liatti finished 4th, 2nd, and 7th respectively at Rally Australia. In Sanremo, McRae took victory, with Eriksson finishing in 5th. Liatti retired following an electrical failure. At the last round of the season, Rallye Catalunya, McRae took a second consecutive victory. Subaru took a 1–2 finish with Liatti finishing second. Eriksson finished in seventh position. Thanks to consistent podium finishes, Subaru successfully defended its Constructors' Championship, but McRae lost the Driver's Championship to Tommi Makinen.
1997–1998
For 1997, McRae again led the team, however his co-driver Derek Ringer was replaced by Welshman Nicky Grist. Secondary driver/co-driver teams included Piero Liatti/Fabrizia Pons (first in Monte Carlo), Olivier Burri/Christophe Hofmann and Kenneth Eriksson/Staffan Parmander (first in Sweden and New Zealand). Once again the team successfully defended its Constructors Championship, winning eight victories out of the fourteen rallies, but McRae again lost the Driver's Championship to Tommi Makinen, this time by just one point.
In 1998 the team had an almost unchanged line-up, although Juha Kangas/Pentti Kuukkala and Jarno Kytölehto/Arto Kapanen participated in one round each. McRae took wins in Portugal, Corsica and Greece. However, bad weather and mechanical failures hurt the team, and Subaru and McRae finished third in their respective championships. At the end of the season, McRae left the team to join Ford, with the tantalizing prospect of driving their brand-new car, the Ford Focus WRC.
1999–2001
Subaru had an all new line up for the 1999 season, with the nominated driver/co-driver teams of Richard Burns/Robert Reid, Juha Kankkunen/Juha Repo, and third team of Bruno Thiry/Stéphane Prévot. The new car, the WRC99, featured an electronically controlled Paddle shifter with a drive-by-wire throttle. Due to technical difficulties, the team struggled until the season's 7th round in Argentina. From there on, the teams earned the podium in seven out of eight events, with five wins, three of which were 1–2 finishes. Subaru finished second in the Manufacturers' Championship, just four points behind Toyota. Burns scored victories in Greece, Australia, and Wales, for second place and Kankkunen took fourth in the Drivers' Championship, with wins in Argentina and Finland.
Burns and Kankkunen continued to drive for Subaru for the 2000 season, with Petter Solberg joining the team halfway through the season, driving in the Rallye de France. The team finished third in the championship, and Burns took second in the Drivers' Championship for the second year in a row.