The WRC rivalry between Colin McRae and Carlos Sainz is well documented, but the Spaniard feels it doesn’t always portray the truth behind their relationship. In the latest Friday Favourite, Sainz picks the Scot as his favourite team-mate:
When one thinks about rally legends Colin McRae and Carlos Sainz, the acrimonious 1995 World Rally Championship campaign springs to mind.
But it was in 1995 when McRae and Sainz made headlines while fighting for the WRC title. At the penultimate round on Sainz’s home turf in Catalunya the Subaru team-mates were split by five points in McRae’s favour. After a string of lead swaps, Sainz led the rally heading into the final day by eight seconds.
Tensions brewed between McRae and Sainz over the 1995 WRC title fight, but it soon passed to see the pair become friendsUltimately McRae defeated Sainz to win the season finale in Great Britain to seal the title after a grandstand duel, having started the event level on points. But the damage to the relationship had been done, according to Sainz.
McRae, who died in a helicopter crash in 2007. “He was the driver I spent the most time with in my whole career and people think that we were not very good friends. But actually, he was the closest friend I had in the World Rally Championship.”