Richard Burns
Richard Burns (left) at the final checkpoint for the 1999 WRC Rally of Great Britain.
World Rally Championship record
Nationality	English
Active years	1990 - 2003
Teams	Subaru, Mitsubishi, Peugeot
World rallies	104
Championships	1 (2001)
Wins	10
Podium finishes	34
Stage wins	277
Points	351
First world rally	1990 RAC Rally
First win	1998 Safari Rally
Last win	2001 Rally New Zealand
Last world rally	2003 Rally Catalunya

Richard Burns (January 17, 1971 – November 25, 2005) was an English world champion rally driver, who topped the World Rally Championship scoresheets in 2001 having wound up runner-up in both 1999 and 2000. He was born in Reading, Berkshire, England. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (685x1024, 340 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Richard Burns ... The World Rally Championship (WRC) is a rallying series organised by the FIA, culminating with a champion driver and manufacturer. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_England. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Subaru (disambiguation). ... Mitsubishi Logo The Mitsubishi Group ), Mitsubishi Group of Companies, or Mitsubishi Companies, all refer to a large grouping of independently operated Japanese companies which share the Mitsubishi brand name. ... Peugeot is a major French car brand, part of PSA Peugeot Citroën. ... World Rally Driver Champions List ... World Rally Championship - 2001 Rally Winners Category: ... The RAC Rally is the best-known motor rally in the UK. It is a round in the international rallying championship. ... Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD ST185 in the 1993 edition The Safari Rally is considered by many to be the worlds toughest rally. ... Juha Kankkunen wins the 1986 edition in a Peugeot 205 T16 The Propecia Rally of New Zealand is oldest WRC event to be held in the Southern Hemisphere. ... The Rally Catalunya (also called the Rally de España) is the fifteenth rally on the World Rally Championship schedule for 2005. ... is the 17th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the 1971 Gregorian calendar. ... is the 329th day of the year (330th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Petter Solberg driving on gravel at the 2006 Cyprus Rally, a World Rally Championship event. ... The World Rally Championship (WRC) is a rallying series organised by the FIA, culminating with a champion driver and manufacturer. ... , Reading is a town, unitary authority (the Borough of Reading) and urban area in the English county of Berkshire. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ...

Career

Pre-WRC

He started driving in a field near his house at the tender age of eight, in his father's old Triumph 2000. At eleven Richard joined the Under 17 Car Club, where he became driver of the year in 1984. Just two years later his father arranged a trip to Jan Churchill's Welsh Forest Rally School near Newtown, Powys where Richard drove a Ford Escort for the day, and from that moment on Richard knew what he wanted to do. He badgered his father into letting him join the Craven Motor Club in his home town Reading where his talent was spotted by rally raconteur and enthusiast David Williams. He rallied the stages of Panaround, Bagshot, Mid-Wales, Millbrook, Severn Valley, Kayel Graphics and the Cambrian Rally. The Triumph 2000 was a mid-sized automobile produced by the Triumph Motor Company between 1963 and 1977. ... This article is about the year. ... This article is about the country. ... Newtown town centre Newtown (Welsh: ) is a town with a population of 10,541 (1993) lying on the River Severn in Mid Wales. ... Powys is a local government principal area and a preserved county in Wales. ... The Ford Escort was a small family car manufactured by the Ford Motor Company from 1967 through 2003. ... // David Williams is the name of: David Williams (didgeridoo), (born 1983) Aboriginal musician and artist David Williams (Son of Dork), a guitarist in the British band Son of Dork David Williams, Welsh musician with the New Wave/Rock band, The Dear & Departed D. J. Williams (1885–1970), Welsh nationalist leader...

In 1990 he joined the Peugeot Challenge after David Williams bought Richard a Peugeot 205 GTI and where he got his first taste of a World Rally Championship event in Great Britain. In 1991 Richard met Robert Reid, the man who was to become his co-driver for the next 12 years. This was one of the longest partnerships ever in Rallying. Year 1990 (MCMXC) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar). ... Peugeot is a major French car brand, part of PSA Peugeot Citroën. ... The Peugeot 205 is a supermini produced by the French car manufacturer Peugeot between 1983 and 1996. ... Year 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the 1991 Gregorian calendar). ... Robert Reid is a Scottish rally co-driver and motorsport personality. ...

In 1993 he joined the Subaru Rally Team for the British Rally Championship alongside Alister McRae where he won four rallies on the Vauxhall Sport, Pirelli, Scottish, and Manx International stages delivering Richard the title of the series' youngest ever champion that year. Year 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar). ... For other uses, see Subaru (disambiguation). ... Alister McRae (born December 20, 1970 in Lanark) is a Scottish WRC driver. ... Pirelli & C. SpA is a diverse multinational company based in Milan, Italy. ...

WRC

1996-1998: Mitsubishi

Main article: Mitsubishi Motors

See also: Ralliart

1996 saw an opening with Mitsubishi at international level, seized upon with sufficient vigour to guide Burns to victory on that year's Rally New Zealand - albeit then, only a fixture within the Asia-Pacific Rally Championship. Even so, the fending off of such calibre competition as works-backed Subaru heavyweights Kenneth Eriksson and Piero Liatti only added gloss to an increasingly fervoured reputation. Come 1998, he had won his maiden World Rally Championship event on the treacherous stages of the Safari Rally, piloting a Mitsubishi Carisma GT. Mitsubishi Motors Corporation ) is the fifth largest automaker in Japan and the thirteenth largest in the world by unit sales. ... Ralliart Inc. ... Juha Kankkunen wins the 1986 edition in a Peugeot 205 T16 The Propecia Rally of New Zealand is oldest WRC event to be held in the Southern Hemisphere. ... The Asia-Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) is an international rally championship organized by the FIA. The championship was first held in 1988 and won by Japans Kenjiro Shinozuka in a Mitsubishi Galant VR-4. ... For other uses, see Subaru (disambiguation). ... Recognised internationally as a Swedish rally driver, Kenneth Eriksson has driven for the manufacturer teams of Subaru, Mitsubishi and Skoda, to name but a few. ... Please wikify (format) this article or section as suggested in the Guide to layout and the Manual of Style. ... Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD ST185 in the 1993 edition The Safari Rally is considered by many to be the worlds toughest rally. ... The Mitsubishi Carisma was an automobile built for the European midsize segment from 1995 to 2004. ...

1999-2001: Subaru

Main article: Subaru

See also: Prodrive

1999 culminated in a more substantial championship showdown, Burns working his way to second place in the standings - and adding to his win tally, despite being upstaged by virtue of a team order mix-up on the Rally Argentina by fellow Subaru works driver Juha Kankkunen. He was a long-time contender for the title in 2000, but crashed out in Finland in mid-season handing the momentum to eventual champion, and future team-mate, Marcus Gronholm. Even so, a stirling comeback from the lower reaches of the top thirty to win on the season-ending Rally of Great Britain was sufficient to keep the Burns name well entrenched within public conscience. For other uses, see Subaru (disambiguation). ... Prodrives logo Prodrive Ltd. ... Motto En unión y libertad(Spanish) In Union and Freedom Anthem Himno Nacional Argentino Capital (and largest city) Buenos Aires Official languages Spanish Demonym Argentinian, Argentine Government Federal republic  -  President Néstor Kirchner  -  Vice President Daniel Scioli  -  Chief of Cabinet Alberto Fernández Independence from Spain   -  May Revolution 25... Juha Kankkunen, born in Laukaa, Finland on April 2, 1959, made his name principally as a rally car driver. ... Marcus Grönholm (born February 5, 1968 in Kauniainen) is a Rally car driver from Finland. ... Wales Rally GB is the largest and most high profile motor rally in the United Kingdom. ...

The 2001 rally season began inauspiciously for Burns - neither of the season curtain raisers, the Monte Carlo Rally or the Swedish Rally, yielded points scores, placing in peril before it had began, the Englishman's title bid. A sturdy fourth place in a rain-drenched Portugal kicked his campaign into action prior to second place finishes on the arresting gravel of Argentina and Cyprus, on both occasions to Ford Motor Company's Colin McRae. Nonetheless, both the Scotsman and Monte Carlo victor Tommi Makinen were later to hit upon snags of their own - and, one victory over McRae later, this time in New Zealand, on Sunday November 25, 2001, Burns became the first Englishman to win the World Rally Championship. Richard drove his Subaru Impreza to third place in the Rally Of Great Britain. When Richard passed the finishing line at the final stage of the final rally in 2001 the famous words popped out of Richard's mouth paying tribute to his codriver Robert Reid: "You're the best in the world". Subaru produced a special edition of the Subaru Impreza in the UK called the RB5[1][2]. A messy legal battle ensued for the Englishman's services for 2002, from which fresh suitors, 2000 and 2001 Manufacturers' Champions Peugeot emerged victorious. Stephane Sarrazin driving a Subaru Impreza WRC on the Monte Carlo Rally Carlos Sainz driving a Toyota Corolla WRC on the Monte Carlo Rally Carlssons replica 1963 Monte Carlo Saab 96 rally car at Linköping, on the occasion of the Diamond Jubilee of SAAB in 1997 The Monte... The Swedish Rally (now the Uddeholm Swedish Rally) is an automobile rally competition held in Värmland, Sweden in early February. ... “Ford” redirects here. ... Colin Steele McRae, MBE (born in Lanark, August 5, 1968) is a Scottish former World Rally Championship driver, the son of five-time British Rally Champion, Jimmy McRae. ... Tommi Mäkinen is a now retired Finnish rally driver, born in Puuppola, Finland near Jyväskylä in June 1964. ... is the 329th day of the year (330th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 2001 Gregorian calendar). ... For the high-performance versions of the Impreza, see Subaru Impreza WRX and Subaru Impreza WRX STi The Subaru Impreza is a compact car that was first introduced by Subaru in 1993. ... ...

2002-2003: Peugeot

Main article: Peugeot

The existing tally of ten WRC triumphs, however, was not to be added to, with the quest for a second world title equally fruitless for Burns. He cobbled together a fine title challenge for much of 2003 - a feat which did not convince him to remain at the wheel of the 206 WRC. The gloomy prospect of a continued winning drought with the Frenchmen left Burns poised to rejoin Subaru for the second time for the 2004 season, the ploy being to couple him with the eventual 2003 title winner, Norway's Petter Solberg. In November 2003, however, with the Englishman heading to the season-ending Wales Rally GB still in the frame to duke it out for that title, Burns suffered a blackout while driving to the rally. He was withdrawn from the event, and thus the title fight, and duly diagnosed with an astrocytoma, a type of brain tumour. He did have a brief stint out of hospital in summer of 2004, only to be made to return, undergoing chemotherapy and radiotherapy, as well as surgery in April 2005 that was described as "very successful". Peugeot is a major French car brand, part of PSA Peugeot Citroën. ... The Peugeot 206 is a supermini manufactured by the French automaker Peugeot since 1998. ... Petter Hollywood Solberg (born November 18, 1974 in Askim), from Spydeberg i Østfold, Norway, is a professional rally driver. ... The Wales Rally Great Britain is the twelfth rally on the World Rally Championship schedule for 2005. ... For the Linkin Park song, see Faint (song). ... Astrocytomas are primary intracranial tumors derived from astrocytes cells of the brain. ... A brain tumor is any mass created by an abnormal and uncontrolled growth of cells either found in the brain (neurons, glial cells, epithelial cells, myelin producing cells, etc. ... Chemotherapy is the use of chemical substances to treat disease. ... Radiation therapy (or radiotherapy) is the medical use of ionizing radiation as part of cancer treatment to control malignant cells (not to be confused with radiology, the use of radiation in medical imaging and diagnosis). ...

WRC Victories

#	Event	Season	Co-driver	Car
1	46th Safari Rally Kenya	1998	Robert Reid	Mitsubishi Carisma GT Evo 4
2	54th Network Q Rally of Great Britain	1998	Robert Reid	Mitsubishi Carisma GT Evo 4
3	46th Acropolis Rally of Greece	1999	Robert Reid	Subaru Impreza WRC
4	12th Telstra Rally Australia	1999	Robert Reid	Subaru Impreza WRC
5	55th Network Q Rally of Great Britain	1999	Robert Reid	Subaru Impreza WRC
6	48th Sameer Safari Rally Kenya	2000	Robert Reid	Subaru Impreza WRC
7	33º TAP Rallye de Portugal	2000	Robert Reid	Subaru Impreza WRC
8	20º Rally Argentina	2000	Robert Reid	Subaru Impreza WRC
9	56th Network Q Rally of Great Britain	2000	Robert Reid	Subaru Impreza WRC
10	31st Propecia Rally New Zealand	2001	Robert Reid	Subaru Impreza WRC

Image File history File links Flag_of_Kenya. ... Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD ST185 in the 1993 edition The Safari Rally is considered by many to be the worlds toughest rally. ... World Rally Championship - 1998 Rally Winners Category: ... Robert Reid is a Scottish rally co-driver and motorsport personality. ... When Mitsubishi realized that its Lancer Evolution homologation cars were no longer able to effectively compete in the WRC class of the World Rally Championship, they replaced it with the Lancer/Carisma GT WRC car. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom. ... The Wales Rally Great Britain is the twelfth rally on the World Rally Championship schedule for 2005. ... World Rally Championship - 1998 Rally Winners Category: ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Greece. ... The Acropolis Rally Greece is the eighth rally on the World Rally Championship schedule for 2005. ... World Rally Championship - 1999 Rally Winners Category: ... It has been suggested that Subaru Impreza RB320 be merged into this article or section. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Rally Australia (currently Telstra Rally Australia) is an automobile rally competition held in Perth, Western Australia. ... World Rally Championship - 1999 Rally Winners Category: ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom. ... The Wales Rally Great Britain is the twelfth rally on the World Rally Championship schedule for 2005. ... World Rally Championship - 1999 Rally Winners Category: ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Kenya. ... Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD ST185 in the 1993 edition The Safari Rally is considered by many to be the worlds toughest rally. ... World Rally Championship - 2000 Rally Winners Category: ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Portugal. ... The Rallye de Portugal is the largest rally racing event held in Portugal. ... World Rally Championship - 2000 Rally Winners Category: ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Argentina. ... The Rally Argentina is the ninth rally on the World Rally Championship schedule for 2005, and the 25th Argentine rally. ... World Rally Championship - 2000 Rally Winners Category: ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom. ... The Wales Rally Great Britain is the twelfth rally on the World Rally Championship schedule for 2005. ... World Rally Championship - 2000 Rally Winners Category: ... Image File history File links Flag_of_New_Zealand. ... Juha Kankkunen wins the 1986 edition in a Peugeot 205 T16 The Propecia Rally of New Zealand is oldest WRC event to be held in the Southern Hemisphere. ... World Rally Championship - 2001 Rally Winners Category: ...

Death

Late on Friday, November 25, 2005, four years to the day after winning the World Rally Championship, Burns died at the age of 34, after having been in a coma for some days as a result of a brain tumour. His death was overshadowed by the much covered death on the same day of footballer George Best. is the 329th day of the year (330th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... George Best (22 May 1946 – 25 November 2005) was a Northern Irish football player best known for his years with Manchester United. ...

The British television show Top Gear, well known for its irreverent attitude toward most celebrities, aired a tribute to Burns during the December 4, 2005 show. The host, Jeremy Clarkson, said that "the news has been completely dominated, as far as we're concerned, by the sad death of Richard Burns." After playing a montage of Richard Burns footage, Clarkson, who lived near Burns, shared an anecdote about Burns playing video games with his 7-year old son and commented, "He was just such a nice guy. I'm going to miss him...badly." No other motoring news was announced in that episode. The current format of Top Gear is a BAFTA[1] and Emmy Award-winning BBC television series about motor vehicles, mainly cars. ... is the 338th day of the year (339th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Jeremy Charles Robert Clarkson (born 11 April 1960) is an English broadcaster and writer who specialises in motoring. ...

A memorial service for Burns was held at St Luke's Church in Chelsea on Thursday 22 December 2005, with readings from BBC TV's Jeremy Clarkson and Steve Rider, and a tribute paid by one of Burns' closest friends, photographer Colin McMaster. Subaru also paid tribute to Burns at Castle Combe in 2006, when over 50 Subaru Impreza RB5s took to the track, including the RB5 number #001 driven by Alex Burns (Richard's father). December 22 is the 356th day of the year (357th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... A well known BBC Sports presenter and was once the chief presenter on BBC Grandstand he now presents mainly Olympic and Golf sports coverage ... For other uses, see Subaru (disambiguation). ... Castle Combe is a small village in Wiltshire, England, with a population of about 350. ...

During the 2006 Goodwood Festival of Speed, a charity was founded in his name with a purpose to "inspire and support people with serious injury and illness", named RB Foundation^[1]. The foundation also raises money for the Michael Park Fund, which deals with improving safety in motorsport events. The Goodwood Festival of Speed, commonly abbreviated as FoS and referred within the United Kingdom as the Festival of Speed, is an annual hill climb featuring historic motor racing vehicles that is held in the grounds of Goodwood House, West Sussex, UK. It was started in 1993 by the present... Michael Park (June 22, 1966 - September 18, 2005) was a rally co-driver from Newent in Gloucestershire. ...

Subaru has announced a special edition Impreza WRX STI for 2007 - the RB320 - in memory of Burns. It features a 320 bhp (240 kW) Prodrive Performance Pack, Prodrive developed suspension, and sports spring kit. Proceeds will go to the RB Foundation. The RB320 was a special edition Subaru Impreza WRX STi created in memory of English rally hero, Richard Burns. ... This article is about a unit of measurement. ... For other uses, see Watt (disambiguation). ... Prodrives logo Prodrive Ltd. ...

The last car available was put up to raise money at the 2007 FoS, signed by numerous star drivers who attended at the weekend including Lewis Hamilton, it eventually raised £10,000 over the list price. ^[2] Lewis Carl Hamilton (born January 7, 1985 in Stevenage, Hertfordshire) is a British Formula One driver. ...

His legacy is still remembered by many with the Scottish band Travis dedicating their album, The Boy With No Name, to his memory. Travis is a British band from Glasgow, comprising Fran Healy (lead vocals, guitar, piano), Dougie Payne (bass, backing vocals, occasional lead vocals), Andy Dunlop (lead guitar, banjo, keyboards, backing vocals) and Neil Primrose (drums, percussion). ... The Boy with No Name is the fifth studio album by Scottish alternative rock band Travis. ...

See also

• Richard Burns Rally, the video game starring Richard Burns.
• List of notable brain tumor patients

Richard Burns Rally (commonly referred to as RBR) is a PC/PS2/Xbox/Gizmondo racing simulator, published by SCi and developed by Warthog with advice of World Rally Championship driver Richard Burns. ... United States Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania (right) is a long-term brain tumor survivor who continues to serve in public office. ...

References

External links

• Video Tribute
• Under 17 Car Club
• RB5 Owners Club
• RB320 Owners Club

• BBC Sport:
  • Richard Burns biography
  • Burns diagnosed with brain tumour
  • Burns surgery 'very successful'
  • Burns' death announced