WRC - The Birth of an Icon

Rallying, Subaru, Impreza, Blue paint job and gold wheels. Put them all together and you have one of the most recognisable cars in the world. The Subaru brand, although not in the top-flight today, is synonymous with the growth of rallying through the nineties and into the new millennium. But where did it all begin?

In 1990, the Japanese firm had an image problem. Their four-wheel-drive road car wagons appealed to those in the outback and on farm land - but Subaru Technica International were keen to attract a younger market and build more dynamic and mass market cars. 

Forging a partnership with British motorsport preparation firm Prodrive in 1989, Subaru were to enter the FIA World Rally Championship from the 1990 season with the big Legacy RS. Six podiums were mustered up by drivers including Markku Alén, Ari Vatanen and Colin McRae on the gravel or snow events where the car was suited. But with technology moving at a rapid pace, the Legacy was falling behind its rivals. Prodrive had built a lighter, more compact and nimbler machine in the wings and had earmarked the 1993 1000 Lakes Rally - Rally Finland as it is known today - for its world reveal.

Subaru green-lit the project but instructed the British concern that they could run the new car only when the Legacy had won a rally. Rally New Zealand was the last hope. Upstepped a young Colin McRae, who was at one with the unique fast and flowing roads, and gave Subaru their first victory. McRae’s timeline would take its own stratospheric trajectory, but this early moment of his career enabled the Legacy to bow out of the sport as an event winner and heralded a new dawn for Subaru.

WRC

The baton was passed to Alén and Vatanen - the two Finnish stars at Subaru, who were given the nod for the debut of the new Subaru Impreza on the 27th August 1993. The world's press gathered and thousands of passionate local fans filled the forests in anticipation of this more agile, more compact, nimble car.

On the opening stage, the Subaru Impreza and Vatanen were right on the pace - just six seconds off the leader. The two-car attack was sadly to shrink to just one, as spectators at the end of the opening test waited in vain. With steam pouring out the radiator and the bonnet and the #5 Impreza facing the wrong way halfway through the gravel course - Alén had crashed out, a big blow for Subaru.

Vatanen was to pick up the sole mantle, a position he reveled in, as on stage three the honour of fastest went to Subaru, with Vatanen avenging Alén’s disappointment. Ari would go on to punch in a further 12 fastest stage times on the 35 stage rally, sharing the podium fight with Juha Kankkunen and Didier Auriol from Toyota.

WRC

Speaking in the early stages of the event, there was a sense of excitement in the Subaru camp. Vatanen was quietly optimistic. “It’s a very good car, and it's so nice to have a new car and have that novelty. We are in a very good shape. After two stages we were nine seconds behind Juha Kankkunen and after a day we were only seven seconds behind - it’s a fantastic rally, great entertainment for the people. We have had no problems with the car - I haven't asked for anything, just one change with the shock absorber as I wanted harder damping - apart from that we haven't put a spanner on it.”

An afternoon of momentum building on the second day saw Vatanen reel in Kankkunen slowly but surely, and he leapfrogged his fellow countryman on SS26 to give the Impreza a rally lead on its world championship debut -  a moment to savour for Vatanen, co-driver Bruno Berglund, Prodrive and Subaru.

Prodrive

It was sadly to be short lived, as the team lost time in the night stages, as the Impreza was robbed of power with turbocharger intercolour woes dropping them back to second. The final day and a final charge - the new Subaru was right on the pace, using every inch of the road and the undergrowth in the hope of clawing back the time lost. It barked and bellowed its way through the stages - its distinctive flat-four exhaust note sending shivers down the spine of those out watching in the forests - creating a fan favourite and rallying icon in the process.        

Rally fans were treated to an impressive sight and a fight of the ages between Vatanen and Kankkunen, who would eventually go on to win the rally and the world title at the end of the year. Subaru would end up second, but knew they had a winner on their hands. And that is where the magic began. 46 victories, three drivers titles, three co-driver titles and three manufacturers titles would follow in the years to come until Subaru would leave the sport at the end of 2008 - creating a car culture legacy (pardon the pun) that still exists around the world to this day!

Watch WRC on DAZN

The 2025 World Rally Championship is available through DAZN on its own dedicated app channel,  Rally TV. It is available either as a dedicated Rally TV subscription, or as part of your existing DAZN subscription for a small add-on fee.

DAZN is the home of Rally TV worldwide, excluding Estonia, Finland, France, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Sweden, China, Hong Kong and Japan.

Rally TV also broadcasts every rally from the European Rally Championship.

Watch every WRC and ERC rally this year on DAZN's 24-hour dedicated Rally TV channel. For more information on prices, subscriptions and more, click here.