Driving Sports

Early this weekend, reports from the United Kingdom confirmed that Rally Legend Colin McRae died along with his son, Johnny, and two family friends, while at the controls of his personal helicopter. McRae was 39. He is survived by his former co-driver and wife, Alison and their daughter, Hollie.

Most recently, McRae had been in the United States to take part in the X Games as a competing driver where he did not finish due to a crash. The previous year he took second after a spectacular roll cost him precious seconds to Gold medalist, Travis Pastrana, netting McRae the Silver medal.

Colin was born in Lanark, Scotland on May 6, 1968, where his family continues to reside to this day. The McRae family is very much a part of rally. Colin’s father is five-time British Rally Champion Jimmy McRae and his brother, Alister, is also a British Rally champion which he achieved in 1995. Colin continued his father’s winning ways by becoming a champion in both the WRC and British and Scottish rally championships. In addition to his stage rally exploits he also has contested the Dakar desert rally and the 24 hours of Le Mans.

His first championships in England came at the helm of a Subaru Legacy where he took both the British and Scottish rally titles. He continued to prove his mettle in every series he challenged including the Asian Pacific series where he was able to beat local drivers on difficult stages in Australia and New Zealand.

1995 was the year that secured McRae’s star in rally history when he took the WRC championship in a Subaru Impreza. He would continue on in the Impreza until 1999 coming close to clinching the WRC title again in 1997. Despite this success, he switched to the Ford team at the close of 1999 due to a series of mechanical failures which kept his second WRC title out of reach.

Frustration followed Colin to the Ford team, where again, mechanical woes hampered his ability to score points in the championship even though he was able to come close to another WRC title in 2001. Despite this, his tenure with Ford ended in 2002 and he then switched teams to Citroen where again, success proved somewhat elusive. He would stay on until 2004 but 2005 found him at the helm of a Skoda for Rally Great Britain and again at Rally Australia.

Although not a regular driver during 2006 and 2007, Colin would appear in the WRC as a fill-in hot shoe from time to time.

In addition to his rally exploits, McRae was working on the production of a new sports car, the R4, a car “designed by a winner for winners.” He also produced the popular rally video game, “Dirt,” in addition to his own signature clothing line.

McRae is remembered as one of rally’s most daring drivers; one who did not shrink away from challenges or hardship. Those who knew him remember him as a driver who possessed a raw talent for driving, who made his way to the top with an innate ability to drive and a determination to succeed.