2001 World Rally Championship

In a tightly contested year, Subaru's Richard Burns took his first and only drivers' world title, beating Ford's Colin McRae, Mitsubishi's Tommi Mäkinen and the defending champion Marcus Grönholm of Peugeot.

[1] The 2001 championship was contested over fourteen rounds in Europe, Africa, South America and Oceania.

April was left open with the belief at the time being that Britain would be moved to the spring in 2002, since there had been talks to relocate Rally GB to earlier in the year to make the event better for weather and tourism.

During the season, Rally GB was under the threat of cancellation due to the outbreak of foot in mouth disease in the United Kingdom, leading to the Rally of Lebanon being prepared as a replacement.

[6] Rally GB was able to go ahead but with a more compact route which concentrated on more rural parts of the south of Wales and controversially removed popular stages such as Sweet Lamb and Myherin.