David Richards REACTS: 40 Years of Prodrive

[@anthonypaterson7066]

Many thanks DirtFish for a superb interview with 2 of Rallying's greats.

[@sonaldaveaaronluke]

As a past Prodrive employee of 25 enjoyed years service ( now retired ) Its was great reliving the events , personnel and times in this interview with D.R. and Lappy , Congratulation on 40 years at the top and good luck for the future

[@peterevans6682]

Great, emotional memories this creates. I was in Clocaenog when Colin McRae won the 95 world rally title, having driven there in my new Subaru Impreza Turbo. I have had several versions of them since, a few being full Prodrive road versions - over 500k miles! Still have an STi with the Prodrive PPP. Can't let these cars go - amazing what these memories do to us humans!

[@mattnewfoxred]

We witnessed one of motorsports greatest moments that day!

[@goncaloferreira72]

You did more than 500k in all of then together or on a single car? Thank you for sharing this story, by the way! 😊

[@peterevans6682]

@@goncaloferreira72 I have had four Impreza Turbos. 3 from new and 1 second hand (the current STi). I have had one on the drive continually since 1995. So yes, over 500k miles in four of them.

[@goncaloferreira72]

@@peterevans6682 1995 is my year of birth! I wish I could have one, someday! Thank you for answering my question, I bet it is a lovely car. Have fun and stay safe! Wish you a happy new year.

[@peterevans6682]

@@goncaloferreira72 And the same to you!

[@richardbroom4324]

What a lovely interview with a pair of legends

[@ScuderiaTurini]

A fabulous interview ! . .

[@richardjack1257]

Thank you so much for this David and Team Dirtfish. Dirtfish is 100% the best thing to happen in rallying for a very long time. Roll on 25 WRC!! ❤️❤️

[@DirtFish]

See you there 💪

[@stuwilsonrallying]

Another good video, be great to have more if this kind of stuff. Well done Dirt Fish and David Evans

[@samuelgarrod8327]

Prodrive are/were one of the most monumental companies in motorsport to me.

[@jasemat]

2 legends for me of golden era of the WRC. Remember chipping back to Chester to watch the finish and then heading back down to home in Reading in the full Team Gear purchased earlier. Every wherever we stopped we had people of all ages mistakenly coming upto to us and congratulating us on the victory, hand shaking and the likes such was the following of the sport back in those days

[@Andy_ATB]

Great interview!!! Plenty of memories.......

[@MegaSpaniard]

Thank you David Evan's , brilliant interview with 2 absolute legends of our sport 👏

[@Christosan88]

Thank you Sirs for sharing your experiences here.

[@johnjames01]

I love how proud Lappy looks at 22:25. These guys got me to love rallying. My 4 year old girl knows what a Subaru is. Blue and yellow is still symbolic, even to this day, 16 years after SWRT ended. It's crazy to think of it that way.

[@adamellson153]

Dirtfish you never fail us, always brilliant content

[@akosbodnar8087]

thanks David, very nice content again! would be great to see them back in wrc again

[@bennylloyd-willner9667]

I remember the brilliant docuseries when Petter Solberg (and Prodrive) had a disastrous WRC season. I looked for a DVD years ago and now the fire to find it flamed up again.❤

[@bennylloyd-willner9667]

I couldn't help myself and ordered "Engineering the World Rally" from the UK, shipping cost almost double the DVD price, but well worth it😊

[@MickMetcalfe]

Excellent interview, bought back some great memories of the 22 years I spent there. I have the greatest respect for these two gentlemen.

[@StewartEvans52]

Seeing Colin's and Richard's cars there fill me with joy because i got to watch them both live but also sadness that they are both gone and have been gone for many years :(

[@mairesavage6815]

Excellent Video...just may be The Rothmans Porsche 911SCRS...wasn't discussed a little more..Such great Driver's Toivonen, Beguin, Coleman, Al hajari..were part of it..@paddy Sullivan VHS 📼 1990s Cork ireland

[@bcm70]

Fantastic video. What a great retrospective.

[@bvward]

Excellent chat with two extremely modest gents... I marshalled the Network Q in Wales in '98. 1st and (so far ) only visit to the UK. Funniest thing I saw was a fully dressed police Volvo chasing a drunk driver on a night stage at Cheltenham horse park☺

[@aft3rgl0w]

that was a great treat before the year ends.....watched the whole video with my miniature rothmans 1981 escort beside me ❤🚗

[@ChasingCars71]

Great video @dirtfish! Buy one David get two free! Absolutely loved this open chat with Lappy, DR and the maestro himself David Evan’s all of them #ChasingCars for many many years!

[@christianburch479]

Fantastic watch, thanks for putting this together.

[@donswier]

These guys gave Subaru (especially) an image boost like no other. Younger people may not realize the weird "granola" image Subaru had prior to Prodrive. Between the rally wins (and the Outback trim package in America) Subaru was saved from extinction. Richards years ago mentioned a consistent, persistent campaign in motorsport can have lasting effect. Still today, that 555 blue & yellow is associated with the Prodrive Subaru era.

[@michaelpebsevans7073]

Great nostalgic look back at Prodrives history , one early memory of Prodrive was watching in Ceri forest, the big inflatable service tent , and Ari Vatanen pre RAC testing the Legacy. Then to see a helicopter land and prodrive personnel going to pick up Nick Faldo ( golfer ) and Ari giving him a ride in the rally car 👌

[@stevengaitt2308]

Fantastic video! Thank you. 🙏🏻 Would love to see Prodrive back in the WRC when the new regs come into force in a few years.

[@VantageNoir]

Everything David Richards touched turned to gold.

[@manuocio]

Prodrive in future will have a status like a legend team, as today. Thanks from Italy..

[@roninfr4666]

Mates rallying his mk2 escort next year can't wait got my bucket and sponge ready his engine is heaven

[@adamangit]

This is such a wonderful retrospective. I had the privilege and joy of working for DR and Lappie in the early years and that creative, have a go, beat the giants attitude really stuck. I remain super gratful that they took me on. It changed my life for the better. A

[@SuperOrbit69]

Brilliant video, some great memories of two very modest but pivotal figures in our sport. I remember scrutineering for the ‘93 RAC RALLY in Birmingham, Colin and Richard were there signing autographs, but we also wanted Dave Richards’ autograph, and he was surprised at the attention and modest to a fault as he came over and chatted with the fans. To me, those talented people, either who engineer the cars, or build and manage organisations, like the two Davids, are equally legendary in my book 🙌

[@pc2921]

McRae and the 555 Impreza is rallying. Iconic

[@goncaloferreira72]

Dirtfish is the best rally channel on YT and television... may I say the best motorsport channel? Hoping you would cover WEC as well

[@dgrallying]

a great watch. nice work

[@meverkko]

Now that was an interesting trip down the memory lane and behind the curtains. I totally agree with DR on where the WRC should go from here.

[@pip5461]

Pro-drive, was always my go to, when I rallied ...!

[@hunterhomeservicesracing6453]

Great interview,two down to earth blokes

[@tweeddalesheepdogs1298]

Brilliant interview with the two top men @ prodrive My first even video was “The VATANAN TOUCH” good work David & dirt fish team 👏👏👌

[@markcooper7523]

Fantastic video and great memories

[@richnews4499]

Glory days of the RAC was when it went from one side of the country to the other and everyone got the opportunity to see the cars fly past

[@SimulatorAdventures]

You always know you're passing Banbury on the M40 when you see the Prodrive sign!

[@clivecosta-correa2102]

25:55 Interesting to hear DR's remarks about the internet. My days as a motorsport journalist in Kenya predated Prodrive's Safari efforts by a couple of years. But my boyhood hero and later friend Shekhar Mehta, by then FIA President for the WRC, introduced us at the time of the 2001 Monte. A long story short, a team of Canadian/Swiss boffins worked on a Lotus Notes-based case management rendition to provide _real-time_ stage and cumulative event data via at a minimum, but also possibilities of small dirigible-mounted [nowadays drones] live feed cameras. But the promised follow-up ended up as an absolute stonewalling exercise. DR hadn't anything to do with that as far as I know; I spoke to an unpleasant oik in the ointment. I suggest we could've provided excellent viewing/data services for rallying fans two decades ago.

[@andrewfreer5797]

Hope you corrected David on Colin In the thousand lakes the roll he commented on was Colin s third roll. He rolled it in shake down then twice in the rally. Im a 45 year old Scottish borderer living in nz I have a 1991 type b rs ra. In memory. Everyone rabbits on a about the gc8 days. But the true unhinged Colin was in the rs legacy. Don Buckley drove a rothmans legacy in the Jim clark rally. I'm and Colin were at the same age and level but only one went on and up. No genuine rs legacy road cars were ever import to UK a 1989 dark blue rs was my first car I bought In nz still have it today. 15 years on.

[@marioantoniazzi2265]

Bloody Brilliant, what an achievement! Both Davids should have been knighted by now!

[@tonydownunder5703]

All I can say is BLOODY GREAT VIDEO 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@roadmantop3769]

Great piece of work ❤

[@RichardJones-vy1hi]

Brilliant video!!!

[@zacky1st]

Pure gold!

[@kariherronen4980]

Great drivers Ari and Colin , I took that video from Finland 1992 (38.10)

[@DirtFish]

Wow! Incredible… glad you enjoyed! 🎥

[@kariherronen4980]

​@@DirtFish Eurosports cameraman came to me and asked how did I find that corner? He has followed toprallying 5years without seeing that kind of mistake. I said that I'am a Finnish rallydriver and we can read the road. Last year 1991 I filmed Vatanen's Leustu roll in 1000 Lakes. He was totally depressed and the he asked me that how are we travelling between stages? He has seen us in previus stage also and they had helicopter. I said that we have Audi 1.6 diesel and papermap........that was icebraker for him and he laugh his head off.

[@richardmortimer8147]

My WRX STi was silver, but it did have the gold wheels!

[@nigelhumphreysfsuk2833]

that was awesome

[@jiipee75]

Thx Prodrive 🇫🇮🫡

[@jtekdryice]

Brilliant!

[@peterking9579]

Brilliant

[@Patriot2001-yl5pf]

legend of subaru

[@temporarynoble]

Great video

[@toweleeielite]

mad as toast, iv stood on a bridge on M56 to go see the rally cars hahaha. my 1st toy car was that rothmans mk2..... aaaaah rallying, nothing like it in he world :)

[@guzmanmendez3878]

Thanks for remember all of us the history and the best times in the WRC! We need a Prodrive and Subaru Come Back in the 2027 new rules!! 🔝🙌. The big boss and your right hand engine man Thanks for created the Iconic and legends Blue Rally Cars.. Forever Subaru (555 🏁💙

[@roninfr4666]

The subaru techy training centre great bridge were I worked is a pile of bricks now rem cooking for the 3 Japanese heads of subaru Daihatsu isuzu they all bowed in the boardroom after the meal it was emotional nice being respected for a change

[@ほりっち-p5m]

SUBARU🇯🇵🗾✨🇬🇧

[@bai814]

Great! Thanks DirtFish peeps. Mr Richards was visionary at the time. But FIA geezers.. sad. To internet and KZbin like platforms. The only way now.

[@chriscars3578]

Prodrive is such an amazing success. And Dave has always been talking sense

[@evansrallying]

Shame kids can’t go into clocaenog forest and watch Wales rally GB now aye David 😂

[@bestcrazyboy8487]

I’m sure that Drakeford put a stop to Rally Wales GB , politicians are utter scum 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

[@JonathanStrome]

Rally's great Councilman...David Richards

[@Holanduzo]

40 Years of Prodrive? this is more like "the years of the scottish car wrecker in Prodrive" instead.

[@gothicpagan.666]

That my dear chap could quite comfortably have been many hrs long. 🙂

[@corradomareliati4222]

💙

[@りえぞん03]

WRCに帰ってきてくれんかなぁ

[@bernardoberner4]

I really dont think there should be a space for EVs in motorsport. Sure if you want to develop battery technology or whatever, go to formula e. But other motorsport series, are supossed to be exciting, cars that compete in motorsports are PERFORMANCE machines and said machines should also be EXCITING, thats why perfomance EVs are not selling well, well no EV is but specially performance ones. People, rightlly, find then boring as hell. Just imagine how boring WRC would be if you didnt have screaming engines through the forests. I made a poll this year, on the WRCs official subreddit, asking people if theyd still watch the WRC if it went eletric, about 50% said they wouldnt, Im one of them.

[@Marko137-em8nx]

Exactly. If this is were motorsports is heading, am not watching. There nothing exciting about going electric.

[@Patriot2001-yl5pf]

Ari Pieti Uolevi Vatanen🇫🇮 David Pender Richards🇬🇧

[@roninfr4666]

Why haven't we got the wrc in Britain it's a disgrace all those forests and great roads being stuck in the snow on rac rally in Wales and Scotland and lake district sleeping in car with cb radios poor kids today never going see group b rest in peace colin jonny and gavin

[@Andy_ATB]

Money!! There aren't any sponsors/backers remotely interested; the sport has fallen so far off the radar, there's no value in it. And a lot of it is self-inflicted.....

[@roninfr4666]

@Andy_ATB maybe Elon the colon might invest .... rally electric be as boring as the formula e we can all play Scalextric or rc cars racing hot wheels on my sons drag strip more exciting

[@richardmortimer8147]

There are far too few manufacturers in rallying.

[@Greg-k4j]

Has Mr Richards still got his amazing desk? as for promoting WRC Rally Australia was awesome in Western Australia, it then moved and the sport has lost traction in Australia.

[@roninfr4666]

Could of had a subaru wrx as company car but unfortunately the ex staff Sargeant who was above me thought thought he was special so didn't end well ...no chef no dinner 😂 no subaru in Lanark we wernt taught too put with idiots colin didn't either 😂

[@dealt]

Could've

[@roninfr4666]

@dealt I drove gtrs for free instead including nismo s and some of the first 370z nismos in the country so it all worked out like a box of chocs

[@SprattyHeath]

EVs do not belong in rallying and I see in no way how they could possibly withstand the brute punishment & force of the WRC. Extreme E is binning off Electric for Hydrogen instead, really just shows how little faith I have in them...

[@valibrad]

Too much talk! Get back in WRC!

[@sscottwilsonn]

Please God no EV 😢 there are plenty of high performance synthetic fuels etc that give that proper engine note . Otago Rally for me is what all rallying should be based on proper decent stages categories for Allcomers etc where privateers can go head to head with the big boys . Rallying sadly like everything else is on its knees IMO i mean take The Snowman Rally all the big names have driven it over the years but 2025 there is no Snowman Rally because of access to forests it’s sad . Otago Rally for me is the blueprint for rallying ok there’s no snow or ice but you’re properly exhausted after the rally because not only is it a test of car but it’s a test of drivers endurance also . Great chat from 2 of rallyings legends if anyone can make something decent change or happen it’s DR 🤝👍