Remembering British Rally Legend Richard Burns, 10 Years On

10 years is a long time in motorsport, and longer still in the World Rally Championship, where a decade of domination by men named Sebastien – first Loeb, now Ogier – has compelled even the most hardened of fans to look wistfully toward the past.

It's now been 10 years since Britain's last world champion Richard Burns tragically succumbed to a brain tumour, aged just 34. Tellingly, and despite the best efforts of talented Northern Irishman Kris Meeke, none have come close to emulating his achievements since.

Hailing from the ordinary Berkshire town of Reading, perhaps the most remarkable thing about Burns – who dominated the British national scene in the early nineties before graduating to the world stage – is that he achieved his success when the WRC was at its zenith, a period when manufacturers were throwing money at the sport and could afford to hire the best driving talent going. Indeed, it is often forgotten that behind the titanic battle between Subaru team-mates Carlos Sainz and the late Colin McRae to decide the destiny of the 1995 title on the RAC Rally, it was a young Burns who finished third. This earned him a move to Mitsubishi alongside Tommi Makinen – the most successful driver in the sport's history until Loeb came along – for 1996.

"Despite what anyone says, those really were the glory days of modern rallying – you had such a vast entry, [with] multiple world champions everywhere you went," says McKlein photographer Colin McMaster, one of Burns' closest friends. "Sometimes there were 20 works cars and at least half of them were capable of winning. Retirements happened a lot more frequently in those days and if you look at the championship points, the margins were quite small because you only got 10 points for a win. Nowadays it's not unheard of for a driver to win the championship by 150 points."

Burns took his first WRC victory on the 1998 Safari Rally and didn't look back. After McRae departed Subaru for Ford for 1999, Burns was chosen to fill the void and took second in points in both 1999 and 2000 – ironically both times with a higher points tally than his crowning glory in 2001, one of the most open seasons in years. Jon Desborough fronted Channel Four's coverage at the time, and recalls the four-way title decider in Wales – an event Burns had won no less than three times in '98, '99 and '00 – with relish.

"It went down to the final event of the season; there was Colin, Richard, Tommi and Carlos all in with a shout," he says. "I was with Richard's girlfriend Zoe driving into the service park when we heard over the radio that the number four car, which was Colin, had rolled. I looked at her and she looked at me and we both realised what it meant for Richard because Colin was the biggest threat to him winning the championship that year."

Knowing he just had to finish, Burns coasted home to collect third place and the title, yelling to his good friend and co-driver Robert Reid the now iconic line, "you're the best in the world!" immediately after crossing the finish. It was a gesture typical of the man.

In Burns and McRae, the two darlings of the British press, it's hard to imagine more contrasting personalities, which showed in the way they approached the stages. Burns, the meticulous operator, was a study of composure behind the wheel and had a knack for seeing the bigger picture, whereas McRae knew only one speed – flat out. This high risk, high reward approach won him many fans, but would come back to bite the Scot on many an occasion, not least in the 2001 title decider, where he needed only to follow Burns home to win.

"Burnsie was never the flamboyant champion that Colin was," agrees Desborough. "I remember David Williams – the guy from the Craven Motor Club who found him when he was a kid – and his financial man, Alex Posten, had the Union Jack out, but couldn't find anybody else to hold the flag up with him. If that had been McRae, they would have had him up on their shoulders, the champagne would have been flowing and he would have immediately gone off to demonstrate why he was known as 'rent-a-party', but Burnsie was missing someone to hold the end of the flag for him! In the end a guy called Pete Woods, who was the producer of the Channel Four rally show, did it for him. It was all very understated, which was Richard's way."

"Richard was a very technical driver and a consummate professional; all he ever wanted in life was to be the World Rally Champion and he was very dedicated to achieving that goal," adds McMaster. "He used to change his pace-note every other year, which would infuriate Robert Reid, but if he believed it would improve his overall performance he'd do it. He did his homework, sought the right psychological coaching and also took his diet very seriously, whereas Colin spent all his time practicing how fast he could go – it didn't matter whether it was a rally car, a go-kart, a motorbike or a speedboat, he was an out-and-out speed merchant."

Burns switched to Peugeot for 2002, but while he was a regular podium visitor and pushed Loeb all the way in Germany, his title defence was ultimately a disappointment. It was a year symbolised by the desperate sight of Burns and Reid on the Safari trying – unsuccessfully – to extricate their 206 from some soft sand within touching distance of the service area, while the mechanics watched helplessly.

After sweeping the driver's and manufacturers titles with Marcus Gronholm in 2002, the Peugeot was no longer the car to beat the following season. Despite heading to Wales with a chance at the championship after leading for much of the year, Burns was closing on a deal to return to Subaru alongside champion-elect Petter Solberg for 2004 when he fell ill. He would never compete again.

Whether Burns could have added further championships to his tally cannot be judged, but those fortunate enough to know him well have no doubt that his was a talent seldom seen.

"People who have good hand-eye coordination are often good at racquet sports, but Burnsie was the worst tennis player you could ever see; he couldn't hit a tennis ball or get about the court at all," remembers Desborough. "But in a car, he was simply unbelievable. Even when he was a kid, all he wanted to do was drive."

The Richard Burns Foundation raises money to help those battling brain injuries and illnesses. Find out more about it here.