Richard Burns is returning to Subaru, the team with which he won the 2001 World Championship.

Burns has inked a two-year deal with Subaru and will rejoin the team for the start of the 2004 campaign. The deal was announced just hours after current Subaru driver Tommi Makinen announced that he will retire at the end of the season.

“Subaru is the team I’ve had the most success with,” said Burns, “ and I’m really looking forward to being part of it again.”

The 32-year-old Englishman left Subaru immediately after clinching the 2001 title, to go to Peugeot. Since then he has failed to win a rally, though he is nevertheless leading the 2003 points chase by a fair margin.

Subaru team principal David Lapworth reckons he’s put together a good squad. “Richard and Petter are two of the most exciting drivers out there,” he said, “and with both of them driving for Subaru I believe our line-up is second to none.”

Burns joins Petter Solberg in the Prodrive-run squad and there will be an interesting contest to see which of the two emerges as the more competitive. Burns held the upper hand over Solberg when the pair were team-mates during Burns’ first stint at Subaru. The team, however, says the two drivers will be on equal footing next season.

Solberg pipped Burns in a last-stage shoot-out for second place on the Rally Finland just over a week ago.

For the moment though Burns says his mind is on the present. “My focus is the current season,” he said, “there’s still a long way to go and I’ll continue to push 100% for the 2003 title.”

Four-time World Champion Tommi Makinen has decided to retire from the sport at the end of the year. Makinen's career has spanned 16 years and resulted in 24 wins to date.

"It's a decision I haven't made lightly," said Makinen. "Picking the right time to stop isn't easy, but I'm happy with what I've achieved in the WRC, and I've been lucky to drive for two excellent teams.

“Realistically, there isn't really much for me to gain by carrying on at this level and my thinking is that it's better to stop when you're at the top. Also, with so much change planned in the WRC over the coming seasons, I feel this is the end of an era, and a good time for me to step down.

“I'm sure it's going to seem a bit strange next January, but I've never seemed to have enough time for family, my farm and my hobbies, so I'm looking forward to spending more time at home in Finland. Perhaps there'll be the chance for some more driving in the future, who knows, maybe one or two rally raids, that sort of thing, you should never say never, but the 2003 Championship will be my last at this level."

Makinen's last rally will be the Rally GB from November 7-9, but the Finn has pledged to maximise his efforts over the five remaining World Championship rounds.

Subaru team Principal David Lapworth commented: "I'm sure this was a very difficult decision for Tommi to take, he's had an incredibly successful career, even after four World Titles he remains highly motivated and fiercely competitive.

“Tommi's one of the best-known and most respected drivers in the WRC and it's been an absolute pleasure to work with him for the past two seasons. In particular, the way that he and Petter work together stands out - theirs is one of the most constructive and successful driver pairings I can remember."



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