When Carlos Sainz retired from the WRC in 2004 – after two world championship crowns – Martin Holmes looked back on the legendary Spaniard’s career. Carlos Sainz junior might be the talk of the town in Formula 1 in 2019, but Carlos senior will forever be revered as one of the motorsport’s greatest drivers. * * * * * The first time I was aware that Carlos Sainz was someone special was during the 1987 RAC Rally. His team thought it amusing - they had telephoned the police, told them that Carlos was running late, and asked them to provide an escort to help him through any traffic congestion along the route. They explained that Carlos was a colleague of the Spanish king and was sure to have diplomatic immunity. The effect on the British police was electric. The road was cleared, no time penalty was incurred. For Carlos, who went on to be the most successful rally driver in the world championship, it seemed normal. It was all part of what life is about, people helping each other. Spanish people always try to help each other. The Sainz’s have good family and friends, though Carlos himself talks little about his connections or his achievements. At 17 he was national Junior squash champion. He loves football, and being at home with the people at Real Madrid. Carlos, however, has always followed his inclinations. “My father was not happy when I gave up studying law and concentrated on rallying,” he says. The family plan was for Carlos to follow his father into the building construction industry, but notwithstanding his independence, the family still helped Carlos progress. Carlos has a brother and two sisters, and the family have been staunchly Madrid people for many generations. Ironically, it was one of Carlos’ sisters who brought him into rallying. “My sister became the girlfriend of Juan Carlos Onoro, who was one of the leading Spanish national drivers, and that kindled my interest in the sport. I was 14 at the time, and four or five years later I decided to have a go myself.” A friend who helped Carlos start off was Juan Jose Lacalle, who used his own money to buy a car so they could go rallying together. It was a SEAT Panda. Carlos drove and Lacalle was co-driver. Lacalle remained his manager and friend, attending every rally until Carlos announced his retirement. Carlos’s hero was Antonio Zanini, the top Spanish driver in the days before the World Championship came to Spain, when the biggest rallies were the qualifying rounds of the European championship. He was another driver full of self confidence and independent thought. Zanini went on to become European champion, Carlos went even better. One of the special Spanish people whom Carlos can confidently call a friend is his country’s King. “You meet a lot of interesting people through sport. I came to know our King through squash, but he is also very interested in motorsport. One day I had the privilege to demonstrate my rally car (a Sierra) in the palace grounds, but this led to trouble. “With the King on board I did spin turns in the palace forecourt. The King thought this was great fun, but he had a lot of agro afterwards with the palace guards about all the black marks we left on the ground!” An indication of Carlos’ intrinsic degree of loyalty, to anyone with whom he worked, is the surprisingly small number of teams for whom he has competed. In the early days he had liaisons in Spain with SEAT, Opel and Renault, while the only teams for whom he competed at world level were Ford, Toyota, Lancia-Jolly Club, Subaru and Citroen. Not so many for a career which spanned 25 seasons! Every team seems to have special memories. “Three times I was at Ford. The first time was when Didier Auriol and I were teammates, driving rear-drive Sierra Cosworth cars. Both times that I went back to Ford were successful. “We were winning with the Escort when the design was four years old. We came 1-2 on the Acropolis Rally (in 1997) when people did not think the car would ever be competitive.” Ford were the first international team to help Carlos in his world championship career. “They gave me whatever chances they could at that time. Things went incredibly well for me on my first world championship rally, the 1987 Rally of Portugal, which began with a super special around the Estoril grand prix track. I made fastest time in my very first world rally special stage! “Actually, I was even more happy when we made second fastest time on the first gravel stage, against the four-wheel drive opposition at that time, which was represented by Lancias and Mazdas. “I originally stayed at Ford for two years, and when I left them to go to Toyota, my experience with Ford made the transition to a top full time professional team easy.” “I can say that I am happy that my last two seasons with Citroen were seasons in which they won the world makes’ title.” Carlos took his two final victories with Citroen, the last one (in Argentina) being his 26th, the rally which made him statistically the world’s most successful rally driver at that time. Carlos, however, has special respect for the two Japanese teams for which he has competed, and most of all for Toyota. “Toyota was a special experience for me, and a lot of that was to do with Ove Andersson. The memory of time I spent at Toyota will always be part of me.” He spent six seasons with Toyota, it was with Toyota that Carlos won his two world drivers’ titles. His win on the 1990 Acropolis was a special landmark. Carlos became the first Spaniard to win a world championship rally (the only other was Jesus Puras). It was Toyota’s first world rally win in Europe for 15 years, and led to Carlos becoming the first ever Spanish-speaking World Rally Champion. “And of course, I remember 1999, the last year of the Corolla, when I so nearly won a third title. I had a terrible misfortune to retire near the end of the final stage of the rally, although Toyota still managed to win the manufacturers’ title. “I sensed quite early that the Corolla program (which was halted prematurely) was in trouble. Both Didier Auriol, who was again my teammate, and I noticed future development plans were on hold. That told the story.” The Corolla project had been Toyota’s first rally programme based on promotion of a specific model rather than the marque in general, so unusual circumstances could be expected. “I felt Toyota left rallying (to go to Formula 1) at the best time in the history of rallying.” With Subaru things were a little different. Carlos only spent two seasons with them, both in pre-World Rally Car days, and both times finished second in the world series, and in the second year, 1995, Subaru won their first manufacturers’ world title. “I had less contact with Japan when I was with Subaru, because I was working all the time directly with Prodrive. But I remember that they were always very correct people. “I did not stay as long with Subaru as I would have liked, mainly because I did not really feel happy there. It was a lot to do with working with David Richards, with whom my relationship later improved, but there were many bad things during my spell there. “One of which was when I fell off my mountain bike and broke my shoulder, having to miss New Zealand.” Despite this problem, Carlos still remained in contention for the world title, which then went to his teammate, Colin McRae, after a bitter argument about team orders on Sainz’s home event, the Catalunya Rally. “What I must say about Subaru, however, is that the team came on a lot while we were there. I joined the team when they were at one level, two years later when I left they were at a much higher level. “On my last two events with them, the team finished 1-2-3. And on a personal note, Subaru gave me a chance to win the Monte Carlo Rally with three different types of car.” Ironically it was Carlos’ sense of loyalty which led him to what was probably his one and only really bad career move. One of his greatest crises came at the end of 1992 when his team, Toyota, announced they were going to change loyalties from Repsol to Castrol. Repsol had always been a most faithful supporter of international Spanish activities, and Carlos Sainz was one of their favourite children. The choice was straightforward. Move with Toyota to Castrol, or have the chance to run in 1993 with an independently run Lancia team, supported by Repsol. After considerable worry, he chose the latter option. Assurances about continued development of the Lancia Delta Integrale fell wide of the mark. The programme ended in tears (literally!) when his team were excluded after Sanremo for using illegal fuel. His loyalty continued into 1994 when he moved to Subaru, and Repsol stickers were on the side of the cars. Carlos has never regarded the rally business as a race between rivals, even though there was a constant roll call among the top drivers in as to who has been the most successful. There was for many years one driver with whom his career record was uncannily comparable, and with whom he was often teammate. That was Didier Auriol. “People made us out to be big rivals, but I regard him simply as a good friend. He is in fact four years older. I learned a lot by working with him. “I learned, for example, just how much attention people pay to drivers’ performances on the 1000 Lakes Rally in Finland. Certainly he and I had a common interest, in proving to the world that you don’t have to be a Scandinavian to be top in this business.” In over a half century of “1000 Lakes” rallies, the only non-Nordic winners were Carlos and Didier. Sometimes Carlos makes a quick decision, but usually he goes through the options very carefully. One such decision was choosing when to retire. In the end the decision was made for him by circumstances. He was becoming increasingly unhappy with the way the sport was being run. Even early in 2004 he publicly declared “There is (now) an unacceptable culture within the FIA of ‘change, change, change.” He thought about it all, frustrated by the FIA’s two-car rule (meaning the third entry would not count for championship points), a rule which had, at the start of 2004, cost the sport the presence of Colin McRae, and which made the chance of a part-program in 2005 unfeasible. The 16-event calendar was the straw which broke the camel’s back. “It is not just the 16 actual events, it’s all the necessary extra time away, testing, making preparations and so on.” At the age of 42, Carlos said goodbye. Over the years we became accustomed to Carlos’ conversations and we knew we always had to be on our guard when he was around. We learned never to give advice even if we were asked, because we always end up proven wrong, even before it was put to the test! And the way he always seemed surprised. We went to see him drive an Escort for the first time, close to the Norway/Sweden border. “Why are you here?” Carlos asked when we arrived. Because Ford are testing here and I wanted to see you testing an Escort for the first time, we explained. “What made you think I would be here?” Because you signed a contract in Madrid last night in public, and you never waste time. (I never asked how he could have crossed Europe at night to be near Torsby at first light next day). “Why was it important for you?” To get a picture of you looking happy for a change. “I always look happy.” No, you don’t. Only on the first day you drive a new car. From then onwards you are always angry and miserable and frustrated because you believe the car can be made to go better. We must have had that conversation a half dozen times, until one day Malcolm Wilson (on the occasion when Carlos drove a Focus for the first time) overheard us. Malcolm turned to Carlos. “Yes, it’s true, you do not usually look happy at all. You always want something more, something better. Martin is right.” At that time, Carlos snorted and walked away, lost for words for once. We miss you, my friend!

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