Skip advert
Advertisement

20 years since Colin McRae's WRC victory - 1995 Rally Australia

This November marks 20 years since Colin McRae became World Rally Champion; updated with the 1995 RAC Rally

McRae didn’t quite replicate his success at Rally New Zealand in the other antipodean round of the 1995 season, but with a second-place finish his strong run towards the end of the season would continue at a pace.

Kenneth Eriksson instead took victory in the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution III – his second of the season, and making Team Mitsubishi Ralliart’s decision not to have hired him for all eight rounds of the season seem unwise.

Advertisement - Article continues below

Indeed, given Toyota’s exclusion at the next round – and with it, the disqualification of Juha Kankkunen and Didier Auriol from their third and fourth place championship positions, Eriksson would have finished an even stronger third place in the title – perhaps challenging Sainz for second – had he taken part in more than four rounds.

McRae’s second place certainly wasn’t a surprise. Like New Zealand, the Australian stages seemed ideally suited to the Scot – he’d won there in 1994 (with Eriksson and Kankkunen also on the podium, as in 1995), and later won in 1997 in the Impreza WRC.

The Australian stages were, and still are, among the most unique on the WRC calendar. Notable mostly for their reddish sand and gravel mix, they’re also home to one of rallying’s most famous spectator points – the Bunnings Jumps.

This series of launchpads is spectacular at the best of times but Colin’s ‘if in doubt, flat out’ style proved hugely popular with fans, and the Scot would regularly put more dusty air under his car than his competitors. Faster? Occasionally, perhaps, but mainly just crowd-pleasing.

Unfortunately, today’s image (courtesy of Prodrive) doesn’t show McRae’s Subaru catching air, but it does give you a good idea of Australia’s characteristic red soil.

Page 4 > Rally New Zealand

Skip advert
Advertisement

Recommended

Subaru Impreza 22B STI (1998): a rally-inspired icon
Subaru Impreza 22B STI
Reviews

Subaru Impreza 22B STI (1998): a rally-inspired icon

It might not be a true homologation special, but the rally-inspired Impreza 22B has proved its worth as one of the most thrilling Subaru road cars eve…
28 Dec 2024
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

Mercedes-AMG discounting its F1-inspired super saloon by £9500
Mercedes-AMG C63
News

Mercedes-AMG discounting its F1-inspired super saloon by £9500

The Mercedes-AMG C63 S E Performance is, to the surprise of very few, not selling well. So now there are deals to be had…
19 May 2025
Volkswagen XL1 (2013) review – Bugatti-level engineering aimed at MPG not MPH
Volkswagen XL1 – front
Reviews

Volkswagen XL1 (2013) review – Bugatti-level engineering aimed at MPG not MPH

Another hair-brained Piëch passion project, the XL1 is shot through with hypercar engineering, all to an end of saving fuel
16 May 2025
Driving ’80s performance car icons, from the Peugeot 205 GTI to the Ferrari Testarossa – car pictures of the week
evo's ’80s performance car test
Features

Driving ’80s performance car icons, from the Peugeot 205 GTI to the Ferrari Testarossa – car pictures of the week

In the latest issue of evo magazine, we revisit six staple performance cars of the 1980s on some of the best roads in the UK – these are our favourite…
18 May 2025