Rallye Catalunya Spain 1996 - bestimpreza

RALLY CATALUNYA

SPAIN

1996

“I went very fast, as I improved all the chronos I had in the special stages.
But he flew like the wind”

Piero Liatti

32° Rallye Catalunya - Costa Brava
Lloret de Mar, 4-6 November 1996

Pilots	Car	Time
1. McRae Colin – Ringer Derek	Subaru Impreza 555	4:14:20
2. Liatti Piero – Pons Fabrizia	Subaru Impreza 555	4:14:27
3. Thiry Bruno – Prévot Stéphane	Ford Escort RS Cosworth	4:15:38

Overall Classification

Pilots	Car	Time
4. Loix Freddy – Smeets Sven	Toyota Celica GT-Four	4:15:55
5. Mäkinen Tommi – Repo Juha	Mitsubishi Lancer Evo III	4:16:12
6. Bernardini Patrick – Savignoni Dominique	Ford Escort RS Cosworth	4:17:30
7. Eriksson Kenneth – Parmander Staffan	Subaru Impreza 555	4:18:01
8. Gómez Marco Oriol – Martí Marc	Renault Mégane Maxi	4:18:22
9. Madeira Rui – Rodrigues da Silva Nuno	Toyota Celica GT-Four	4:19:19
10. Medeghini Angelo – Capoferri Barbara	Subaru Impreza 555	4:21:58

Stronger than the wind

«Colin was really good, but he took exaggerated risks to be able to overtake me. Richards called us the night before the last leg to tell us that we were free to play for the final victory as long as we both arrived. And we fought: I went very fast, as I improved all the chronos I had in the special stages. But he flew like the wind and, in the end, he managed to beat me by seven seconds». Words from Piero Liatti - one of the strongest drivers on tarmac and McRae's teammate - at the end of the Rallye Catalunya, the last act of the 1996 season.

The Spanish race is all on tarmac but Colin cares little: as always, he puts his heart and courage into his driving and takes full advantage of all the qualities of his Subaru Impreza 555 Group A. At the end of the second leg, the Scotsman is behind his Italian team-mate by just 3” but wins the last four special stages and arrives in Lloret de Mar, together with Derek Ringer, leading the rank. A beautiful battle between the two Subaru drivers, a great success on a surface that, so far, has never given Colin too many joys in the World Championship. It was a well deserved farewell for the Impreza Group A. A change was coming; The following season would be the first for WRC cars, a new category introduced by the International Federation.