Following the 25-year celebrations of Colin McRae’s World Rally Championship crown last year, 2021 will mark the 20-year anniversary of Richard Burns’ title triumph
The opening rally of Burns’ landmark campaign was the same as today, the Monte Carlo Rally, but it wasn’t a great event for many of the WRC regulars as seven of the drivers who would go on to finish in the top 10 in the points retired from the event and Mitsubishi’s Tommi Mäkinen took a lonely one-minute win over Ford’s Carlos Sainz.
McKlein revists the rally in photographic form with 10 of the best images from the stages.
Armin Schwarz & Manfred Hiemer, Skoda Octavia WRC
Carlos Sainz & Luis Moya, Ford Focus RS WRC
2001 WRC Monte Carlo line up
Didier Auriol & Denis Giraudet, Peugeot 206 WRC
Tommi Mäkinen & Risto Mannisenmäki, Mitsubishi Lancer Evo
Richard Burns & Robert Reid, Subaru Impreza WRC
Bruno Thiry & Stéphane Prevot, Skoda Octavia WRC
Gilles Panizzi & Hervé Panizzi, Peugeot 206 WRC
Tommi Mäkinen & Risto Mannisenmäki, Mitsubishi Lancer Evo
Sébastien Loeb & Daniel Elena, Citroën Saxo S1600
Armin Schwarz & Manfred Hiemer, Skoda Octavia WRC
Carlos Sainz & Luis Moya, Ford Focus RS WRC
2001 WRC Monte Carlo line up
Didier Auriol & Denis Giraudet, Peugeot 206 WRC
Tommi Mäkinen & Risto Mannisenmäki, Mitsubishi Lancer Evo
Richard Burns & Robert Reid, Subaru Impreza WRC
Bruno Thiry & Stéphane Prevot, Skoda Octavia WRC
Gilles Panizzi & Hervé Panizzi, Peugeot 206 WRC
Tommi Mäkinen & Risto Mannisenmäki, Mitsubishi Lancer Evo
Sébastien Loeb & Daniel Elena, Citroën Saxo S1600
Armin Schwarz & Manfred Hiemer, Skoda Octavia WRC
Carlos Sainz & Luis Moya, Ford Focus RS WRC