Having won the Peugeot Challenge for the second successive year, Burns and Reid's aspiration of a works drive for 1992 looked realistic, but actually proved optimistic. However they hoped the new Shell Scholarship would be their salvation. A scheme designed to reward the most promising young driver of the year, it offered a works Group N Sierra Cosworth drive in the 1992 British Open Rally Championship as a prize. Burns, Reid and mentor David Williams prepared thoroughly for the selection day and were the favourites. The prize, though, went to Alistair McRae. Burns and Reid were devastated but Williams was incensed and vowed they would continue rallying.
Basing their attack around the Group N Subaru Legacy he'd bought to drive himself, Williams put together a strong sponsor package with Elonex Computers and, ironically, Shell, to create 'Shell Team Subaru'. A successful campaign on the Mintex National Championship rewarded them with another title and made Burns, just 21, the youngest ever National Rally Champion. Williams then put together another sponsorship package for 1993 and, working in partnership with the Prodrive Subaru Team, Burns and Reid entered the British Open Championship in a Group A Legacy. Against strong opposition from the experienced Malcolm Wilson and Bryan Thomas in a Michelin sponsored Escort Cosworth, and their own teammates Alistair Mc Rae and David Senior in an identical Legacy, Burns and Reid clinched the Championship with a fine victory on the Manx in the car modelled here. Richard Burns, at 22, was the youngest ever British Rally Champion. 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.