BURNS’ LEGACY FULLY RESTORED FOR DEMOS
BRC - winning car to make appearance sat good wood and rally day
The Subaru Legacy which Richard Burns used to win the 1993 British Rally Championship has been fully restored, and will complete demonstration runs at the Goodwood Festival of Speed and Rallyday later in the year.
The car is owned by the man who ran Burns in his early years in the Peugeot Challenge, David Williams, and has been restored to 1993-spec by Autosportif in Oxfordshire.
“In total it’s taken a year and a half to do,” said Williams, whose son Tom is competing in the Junior World Rally Championship and is Burns’ godson. “It’s perfect now, it’s just how it was when he did the championship.
“We’ve had a new fuel tank in it as it was seeping, and it’s had a full service. In total it’s taken a year and a half to do.”
Williams is hoping that Robert Reid, who co-drove Burns to the title in 1993, will sit in the passenger seat of the car, which will be driven by Tom Williams.
“He’s tested it and has done 30km or 40km and he’s totally confident in it,” added David Williams. “It would be nice to have Robert sit in it with him.
“It has to stay on Tarmac, because Richard didn’t want it to run on gravel and get gravel rash up the side. I’m just trying to do what he asked of me.
“To use Richard’s words, when it was original it was perfect, so I’ve just tried to make it perfect for him.”
The car is scheduled to run at Goodwood on July 12-15 and Rallyday on September 17. Williams confirmed it will run with proper fuel and Pirelli tyres, to keep it sounding and looking as original as possible.
As part of Castle Combe’s Rallyday celebrating 60 years of the BRC, two people who formed one of its most heated rivalries, Jimmy Mcrae and Russell Brookes, will be in attendance.
Five-time champion and record holder Mcrae said: “Rallyday is an event I always look forward to. I haven’t been for a couple of years, but it’s a great chance to get out and about among the real enthusiasts of the sport. And obviously a really good chance to drive some great rally cars.”
Brookes added: “There’s always a good crowd at Rallyday. The chance to go back and meet them all and say hello to so many old friends is very welcome.”