Illustration Gudy Steinmill-Hommel

The iconic factory blue and yellow Subaru Imprezas that challenged for honours in the World Rally Championship from 1993 to 2005 have transcended rallying. The Prodrive-developed and run cars took three consecutive manufacturers’ titles and were the mounts of Britain’s only two World Rally Champions, Colin McRae and Richard Burns, as well as Norwegian Champion, Petter Solberg. There were many notable victories for the Imprezas, but perhaps the one that stands out is McRae’s win in the 1997 Safari Rally.

It was a victory achieved against the odds, as it was thought that the all-out temperament of the Scotsman was ill-suited to the demands of the event, which traditionally demanded guile and patience. Yet win McRae did and in emphatic style, navigated by Nicky Grist. The book was published by Porter Press International and is also available for purchase on Amazon. Continue reading →