1:43 Peugeot 309 GTI 16v, Lombard RAC Rally, 24th-27th November 1991, Richard Burns and Robert Reid
Product Code: VA11606
Peugeot's legendary Motorsport Director Des O'Dell kept an eye on
Richard Burns from the beginning of his career through old friend Gordon
Jarvis, who'd helped Richard build his first rally car before the
future champion was even old enough to hold a driving licence. He was
impressed; Burns was committed to his rallying, attended the training
days, was well turned out and through the training of Jarvis and
unofficial manager David Williams had even become adept at handling the
media. His smooth economical driving style, unusual in one so young, was
deceptively quick although the fact he rarely damaged cars, which most
would see as a plus, was interpreted by some in the sport as a sign that
ultimately he did not have the speed required. His regular fastest
stage times never did quite satisfy those doubters.
Burns's prize for winning the 1990 Peugeot Challenge Championship (a
win he repeated in 1991) was a works drive on the 1990 RAC Rally in a
309GTI, making the 19-year-old the youngest works driver in history at
that point. His 28th place finish, shared with navigator Wayne Goble,
was impressive enough for Peugeot to give Burns, and now regular
co-driver Reid, more outings during 1991 in the more powerful 215bhp
Group A 16v 309 modelled here; a car that started life as an 8-valve
before being rebuilt with later bodywork, 16-valve engine and 6-speed
gearbox. Their fast trouble-free drive to class victory on the 1991 RAC
Rally was impressive and attracted favourable media attention, helping
their burgeoning reputation.
England’s one and only World Rally Champion, Richard Burns, was born
to drive. The Richard Burns Foundation and Corgi have teamed up to
create a series of six highly detailed 1:43 scale quality die-cast
collectable models representing the most memorable rally cars in
Richard’s illustrious career. Each model is presented in a display case
and comes complete with a collector card listing the story of that
particular car. Every model sold will provide a contribution to the
Richard Burns Foundation to help support its continuing charitable work
in the 2001 champion’s name.
