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Colin McRae |
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Written by Mariner
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Monday, 17 September 2007 |
Colin McRae dies in helicopter crash
Former World Cahmpion Rally driver Colin McRae and two children - one his five-year-old son - died in the helicopter crash near his country home, police said on Sunday. Strathclyde Police said they now know the 39-year-old former world champion, his son Johnny, and two family friends died in the aircraft which burst into flames in Lanark, Scotland, on Saturday afternoon. The other passengers were six-year-old Ben Porcelli from Lanark, a friend of McRae's son, and 37-year-old Graeme Duncan, who lives in France and was visiting the family.
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Official confirmation of his McRae's death came at 1255 BST on Sunday. His agent, Jean-Eric Freudiger, also confirmed McRae was piloting the helicopter when it crashed, killing all four people on board, including McRae's five-year-old son, Johnny. McRae leaves a wife, Alison, and daughter, Hollie.
 The Twin Squirrel helicopter which McRae owned came down about 4.10pm, bursting into flames and starting a massive fire. It was returning to McRae's home at Jerviswood from a visit to the nearby village of Quarter. All four died instantly as the aircraft exploded in a fireball after plunging into trees in the Lanarkshire countryside, just 200 yards from his home.
Chief Superintendent Tim Love, divisional commander of Strathclyde Police's South Lanarkshire Division, said: "We believe that the group were just returning from a visit to the nearby village of Quarter around 4.05pm yesterday, when it appears that the helicopter got into difficulty and crashed within the grounds of Mr McRae's family home. "Our officers are working closely with the Air Accident Investigation Team who are presently at the scene. Family liaison officers have been appointed and are with the families to help them through this distressing and difficult time."
Denis Lowry, 48, who owns New Steadings Farm, just across the Mouse Water from McRae's home, called the emergency services after seeing the helicopter plunge into a valley and smoke rising from the crash site. He said: "I was speaking to one of my friends on the farm. The helicopter came overhead and then dropped into the valley. After it disappeared I saw smoke rising from the trees and phoned the emergency services. I could not see what happened when it went down. We are used to seeing it in the area. The helicopter is up so often my cattle don't even flinch when it is overhead. This will have an unbelievable effect on the community. Colin was a very popular person around here."
 The son of the five-times UK rally champion Jimmy McRae, 66, he began competing at the age of nine and won 25 events in his 30-year career. McRae competed in his first rally on the World Rally Championship circuit in Sweden in 1987, earning his first win in New Zealand in 1993. Driving a Subaru Impreza 555, the Scot won the 1995 World Rally Championship in a nail-biting finish on home soil and was the runner-up in 1996, 1997 and 2001. He retired fro the World Rally Chamionship in 2004. He also took part in the Paris to Dakar rally, the Le Mans 24 hour race, the Race of Champions and the X Games. McRae also lent his name to a best-selling computer game, but it was his flamboyant racing style that earned fans in all types of motorsport and lifted the profile of rallying in Britain.
The rally driver's official website was changed to a black screen on Sunday morning, prior to police confirmation of his death. "I'm not really a fan of computers," McRae was quoted as saying on his website before it went offline. He added: "When it comes to computers and electronics, give me 300 brake horsepower, a winding road -- and no brakes, and then you've got my attention!"
He was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) by Queen Elizabeth II in 1996.
Jimmy McRae paid tribute to his son, saying: "It is unbelievable that Colin and Johnny's lives have been taken so prematurely and in such a tragic manner. Colin was a great son, a loving husband to Alison and a fantastic father to Johnny and his big sister Hollie. Johnny was a great wee guy, spending every spare minute with his dad, and even at this early stage it looked like he had the potential to carry on the family dynasty. Our thoughts are also very much with the families of Ben Porcelli and Graeme Duncan."
The rally driver's wife Alison and his daughter Hollie, eight, are thought to have been away at a horse riding event at the time.
Other tributes to poured in from all over the world.
David Richards, chief executive of the Benetton Formula One team, and McRae's boss when he won the world championship, said he would be remembered as a "true legend of the sport". Speaking at the Belgian Grand Prix he added: "He had a competitive spirit like I’ve never seen. He was one of those people who had an extraordinary spirit that you just can’t define. It’s a terrible loss. I was chatting to him during the course of this week. It is extraordinary and it is still hard to take in. He was just so competitive, and so extreme in everything he did. And yet also great fun. “
That was his style. He had a real have-a-go instinct," said Richards. "It was a special thing that you would never want to take that away from him.You could throw any car at him in any recognised motorsport and he would do well. I remember when I put him in a Formula One car at Silverstone and how great he was in that straight away. It could have been a sports car, touring car, Paris-Dakar, you name it. It's unusual to call somebody a legend, but it's very appropriate for Colin."
Nicky Grist, McRae's co-driver since 1997, said the whole of the rally world was in shock and said McRae was "such a great character". Speaking about his time with the former world champion, Grist said: "I have to say they were the best times of my life. We used to drive to the max and push everything to the absolute limit. But when it came to socialising we had great fun also." Grist added: "Colin was always regarded as being a bit of a risk-taker in cars, but when it came to flying a helicopter he was a totally different man. The one thing he always told me, he said 'You don't mess about with a helicopter. They are bigger and better than I am and you have to drive them as such."'
 Fellow Scot and Formula One ace David Coulthard said McRae was both "fearless" and "flamboyant". "He and Alison were good friends and I cannot imagine either without the other," said Coulthard, who was due to partner McRae in Team Scotland for the latest version of the Race of Champions at Wembley Stadium in December. "He was fearless, flamboyant, blindingly quick in the car. He was very down-to-earth, matter-of-fact that he was so good. He had all the good Scottish traits. I competed in the Race of Champions with him because of my respect for him. I remember him urging me on, telling to get the finger out for Scotland. We had some great times and his passing is a terrible blow for the McRae family and everyone who came in contact with him."
Sir Jackie Stewart also spoke of his sadness at McRae's death. "We want to extend our sincere condolences and deepest sympathy to Ali, Jimmy and the rest of the McRae family," said the three-time Formula One World Champion,. "It's a sad loss for Scotland, of a real hero and an immensely popular friend."
Motorbike legend Valentino Rossi dedicated his win in Sunday's Portuguese MotoGP to McRae. "Colin McRae was very important for me," Rossi said after his win. "He was one of my great idols when I was young. I always followed his career because he was the Kevin Schwantz (1993 500cc world champion) of rally. Colin gave me a lot of passion for that sport because he made a great show, always with some mistakes but always very fast. Unfortunately, all I can do for him is to dedicate this victory." On the grid before the start of the race Rossi, with one hand on his heart, held a sign saying: Colin, we will miss you.
Rossi, who also loves to drive rallys went on to say that McRae gave Rossi advice when he took part in his first world rally event in Britain back in 2002, and the pair raced against each other in the past. With Rossi’s passion for rallying and McRae’s love of motorcycling, the pair struck up an instant rapport. “I knew him well and we had done some races together. He was great fun and I remember one time being in a car park with him and Graziano in a Subaru just having some fun and making some slides. He was a good friend also of Graziano. I think it’s a great loss not just for rally, but for all of motorsport. Many people knew him and he was a great talent. He was also a very good motorcycle rider and we would always talk a lot about racing. I don’t know what else to say, I am very sad and I will miss him a lot.”
 Martin Whittaker was Colin McRae's team boss at Ford and is now the chief executive officer of the Bahrain F1 circuit. He said in an interview that McRae was an immensely influential driver, adding: "First of all, his personality was extraordinary. But I think it was his driving, his flamboyancy. It was gritty, it was gutsy and his determination was better than anything I'd ever seen. He had that attitude which was sort of 'press on regardless'. He was spectacular, he had lots of accidents, but at the same time he was the youngest world champion. He delighted many hundreds of thousands of rally fans and of course he endeared himself to millions around the world. He brought the sport from something that was perhaps not so well known and became a household name."
Malcolm Wilson, BP-Ford World Rally Team director, added: "I was privileged to have Colin in our team driving for Ford at a time when he was at the peak of his powers. He achieved one of his greatest victories with us when he won the legendary Safari Rally in Kenya in 1999 on only our third event with a brand new Focus WRC. It was a victory he went on to repeat in 2002. Since retiring as a full-time driver in the WRC, Colin has done much for the sport at grass roots level and his tragic death is a huge loss to British sport in general."
Renault F1 driver Heikki Kovalainen said he admired McRae's driving skills and winning attitude. "His driving style and his way of even living was what captured people's imagination," said the Finn. "He was really daring, always pushing it further. I always liked his attitude. It was maximum attack always and he had some big rolls sometimes. Every time he had one, though, it was like: 'Oh well, it's just a roll', and he just carried on. That's what people will remember and that's why he captured so much attention. He was a real character, a real racer. It goes beyond racing. I think he is the most well-known rally driver in the whole world because of his big accidents, or his attitude. The first time I met him was the Rally Finland in 1995, when he rolled his Subaru twice. I went to ask for his autograph, and I still have it."
 Ex-Formula One driver Martin Brundle, who swapped racing cars with McRae in a publicity stunt in 1996, said: "He was a naturally gifted driver, whatever he was in. I've always thought rally drivers are probably the most all-round skilled drivers in the world because of the conditions they have to cope with. Having done a couple of rallies, I know what an extraordinary challenge it is. He was fearless, and as David Coulthard said, one of the good guys. Why is it always the good guys it happens to? He had a cult following because he was always exciting to watch. When he drove the F1 car, he just picked it up by the scruff of the neck and gave it a thrashing."
Colin Hilton, chief executive of the Motor Sports Association, said McRae was an "inspiration to all who knew him and to millions around the world". He added: "His energy, commitment and extraordinary talent brought him domestic and international success, while his uncompromising style and determination made him the hero of fans everywhere. Throughout a glorious career, that saw him rise from the grassroots of the sport to the pinnacle of the world stage, Colin was always a great ambassador for Scottish and UK motor sport. Since retiring from the WRC, he has continued to dedicate himself to the sport, in particular the development of the next generation of rally drivers and co-drivers."
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Last Updated ( Monday, 17 September 2007 )
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