Colin McRae facts for kids
Colin McRae at the X Games XIII in 2007
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality |  Scottish/British |
| Born | 5 August 1968 Lanark, Scotland |
| Died | 15 September 2007 (aged 39) Lanark, Scotland |
| World Rally Championship record | |
| Active years | 1987–2003, 2005–2006 |
| Co-driver |  Derek Ringer Nicky Grist |
| Teams | Subaru, Citroën, Ford, Škoda |
| Rallies | 146 |
| Championships | 1 (1995) |
| Rally wins | 25 |
| Podiums | 42 |
| Stage wins | 460 |
| Total points | 626 |
| First rally | 1987 Swedish Rally |
| First win | 1993 Rally New Zealand |
| Last win | 2002 Safari Rally |
| Last rally | 2006 Rally of Turkey |
Colin Steele McRae (born August 5, 1968 – died September 15, 2007) was a famous Scottish rally driver. He was known for his exciting and fast driving style. In 1995, he became the first Scottish driver and the youngest person ever to win the World Rally Championship (WRC) Drivers' title. This record stood for 27 years!
Colin McRae helped the Subaru World Rally Team win the WRC Manufacturers' title three times in a row from 1995 to 1997. He also won many races with the Ford World Rally Team and helped Citroën World Rally Team win their first manufacturers' title. He was given an award called the Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 1996 for his achievements in motorsport. With 25 wins, Colin held the record for the most WRC victories for a few years.
Sadly, Colin McRae died in a helicopter crash in 2007 near his home. His young son and two family friends also passed away in the accident.
Contents
About Colin McRae
Colin McRae was born in Lanark, Scotland. His father, Jimmy McRae, was also a very successful rally driver, winning the British Rally Championship five times. Colin was the oldest of three brothers. His middle brother, Alister McRae, also became a rally car driver.
Colin married Alison Hamilton, who was once his co-driver. They had two children, Hollie and Johnny. In 1996, Colin was honored with the MBE award for his great contributions to motorsports.
Colin McRae's Racing Career
Starting Out in Rallying
Colin McRae started his racing journey early, riding trial bikes. He became the Scottish schoolboy motocross champion at just 13 years old. When he was 16, he began competing in car rallies, driving a Mini Cooper.
In 1986, Colin entered the Scottish Rally Championship. He quickly became known for his incredible speed and thrilling driving style. People often compared his style to the Finnish World Rally Champion, Ari Vatanen, who Colin admired.
His first big international rally was the 1987 Swedish Rally. In 1988, he won the Scottish Rally Championship. By 1991, Colin became a professional driver, joining the Subaru team. He won the British Rally Championship in both 1991 and 1992. This led him to the top level of rallying: the World Rally Championship.
World Rally Championship Success
With Subaru (1993–1998)
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In 1993, Colin joined the Subaru World Rally Team. He drove the powerful Subaru Legacy car. He won his very first WRC rally in New Zealand that year. This was also the first win for the new Subaru team!
In 1995, Colin McRae made history. He won the World Rally Championship Drivers' title. He beat his teammate, Carlos Sainz, in a thrilling final race in Great Britain. Even after winning the title, Colin continued to win many individual rallies. He helped Subaru win the manufacturers' title three years in a row (1995, 1996, and 1997). In 1998, his last year with Subaru, he won three more rallies and finished third in the championship. He also won the special "Race of Champions" event.
With Ford (1999–2002)
In 1999, Colin moved to the Ford World Rally Team. He drove the new Ford Focus WRC rally car. He won two rallies right away in Africa and Portugal. The new car sometimes had problems, but Colin still showed his amazing speed.
In 2001, Colin had three wins in a row in Argentina, Cyprus, and Greece. This put him at the top of the points table. However, he just missed out on winning his second WRC title, finishing second overall.
In 2002, Colin won the Safari Rally. This made him the driver with the most WRC event wins at that time! His record was later broken by Carlos Sainz. After the 2002 season, Colin left Ford.
With Citroën (2003)
For the 2003 season, Colin joined Citroën. This team was new to full-time WRC racing. In his first race with Citroën in Monte Carlo, he finished second. This helped Citroën achieve an amazing 1-2-3 finish with their drivers. Colin ended the season in seventh place. After this season, Colin couldn't find a team for 2004, so he took a break from the WRC.
Later Career and Other Races
Even though he wasn't in the WRC full-time, Colin McRae still raced in other exciting events. In 2004, he competed in the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race. He finished third in his class and ninth overall in a Ferrari 550. This showed how good he was at different types of racing.
Colin also took part in the tough Dakar Rally in 2004 and 2005, winning some stages. He returned to the WRC for a couple of races with Škoda in 2005. In 2006, he competed for Subaru at the X Games in Los Angeles, showing his famous aggressive style. His last WRC race was the Rally of Turkey in September 2006.
Colin was still hoping to return to the WRC in 2008. He was even talking about testing with his old team, Subaru, but sadly, he passed away before this could happen.
| 24 Hours of Le Mans career | |
|---|---|
| Years | 2004 |
| Teams | Prodrive Racing |
| Best finish | 9th overall, 3rd in class (2004) |
| Class wins | 0 |
Colin McRae's Death
| Accident summary | |
|---|---|
| Date | 15 September 2007 |
| Summary | Pilot error |
| Place | Lanark, Scotland, United Kingdom |
| Fatalities | 4 |
| Survivors | 0 |
| Aircraft type | Eurocopter AS350B2 Squirrel |
| Registration | G-CBHL |
Colin McRae died on September 15, 2007. He was flying his helicopter, a Eurocopter AS350B2 Squirrel, near his home in Lanark, Scotland, when it crashed. His five-year-old son, Johnny, and two family friends, Graeme Duncan and Johnny's six-year-old friend Ben Porcelli, also died in the accident.
Investigation into the Accident
An investigation was carried out to find out why the helicopter crashed. The report, released in 2009, said that the helicopter crashed while flying at high speed and low height. It was likely that Colin, as the pilot, tried a turning move at a low height and lost control. The helicopter hit trees and crashed. The investigation also found that Colin's flying license had expired in 2005.
A later inquiry in 2011 concluded that Colin McRae was responsible for the crash. It stated that he was flying "unnecessary and unsafe" at a low level.
Tributes and Legacy
News of Colin McRae's death shocked the motorsport world. Many drivers and fans paid tribute to him. David Coulthard, a Formula One driver and friend of Colin, raced with a helmet like Colin's to honor him. Tommi Mäkinen, a rival and fellow champion, said Colin was "a pleasant fellow and a tough rival." Even Valentino Rossi, a famous motorcycle racer, dedicated a win to Colin, saying Colin was one of his idols.
In memory of Colin, the Swedish Rally created an award called "Colin's Crest" for the longest jump over a hill.
In 2008, a special rally called the "Colin McRae Forest Stages Rally" was held in Scotland. Many famous rally drivers, including Colin's father Jimmy and brother Alister, took part to remember him. Colin McRae was also added to the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame.
Colin McRae Rally Video Game Series
Colin McRae's fame also led to a very popular series of video games. Codemasters released the first Colin McRae Rally game in 1998. These games let players experience the thrill of rally driving.
Many versions followed, including Colin McRae Rally 2.0 and Colin McRae Rally 04 and 2005. The series continued with Colin McRae: Dirt in 2007, released just before his death. The last game to carry his name was Colin McRae: Dirt 2 in 2009. A remastered version of Colin McRae Rally 2.0 was released for mobile devices in 2013.
Colin McRae R4 Car
In 2003, Colin McRae started designing his own rally car called the McRae R4. He showed it off at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in 2007. He wanted it to be an affordable and safe rally car.
The car was built with a strong steel safety cage and carbon panels. It had a powerful 2.5-liter engine with 350 horsepower. The McRae R4 could be made with either two-wheel or four-wheel drive.
WRC Career Summary
| Season | Team | Starts | Victories | Podiums | Stage wins | DNF | Points | Final result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Private | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC |
| British Junior Rally Team | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 1988 | Peugeot Talbot Sport | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | NC |
| 1989 | Private | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34th |
| Gary Smith Motorsport | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | ||
| R.E.D. | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 1990 | Shell UK Oil | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 34th |
| 1991 | Subaru Rally Team Europe | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | NC |
| 1992 | Subaru Rally Team Europe | 5 | 0 | 1 | 16 | 1 | 34 | 8th |
| 1993 | 555 Subaru World Rally Team | 7 | 1 | 2 | 39 | 2 | 50 | 5th |
| Subaru M.S.G. | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 1994 | 555 Subaru World Rally Team | 8 | 2 | 2 | 51 | 3 | 49 | 4th |
| 1995 | 555 Subaru World Rally Team | 8 | 2 | 5 | 47 | 2 | 90 | 1st |
| 1996 | 555 Subaru World Rally Team | 9 | 3 | 4 | 46 | 3 | 92 | 2nd |
| 1997 | 555 Subaru World Rally Team | 14 | 5 | 6 | 78 | 6 | 62 | 2nd |
| 1998 | 555 Subaru World Rally Team | 13 | 3 | 5 | 62 | 5 | 45 | 3rd |
| 1999 | Ford Motor Co | 14 | 2 | 2 | 25 | 10 | 23 | 6th |
| 2000 | Ford Motor Co | 14 | 2 | 6 | 36 | 7 | 43 | 4th |
| 2001 | Ford Motor Co | 14 | 3 | 5 | 35 | 5 | 42 | 2nd |
| 2002 | Ford Motor Co | 14 | 2 | 3 | 13 | 4 | 35 | 4th |
| 2003 | Citroën Total | 14 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 3 | 45 | 7th |
| 2005 | Škoda Motorsport | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 22nd |
| 2006 | Kronos Citroën World Rally Team | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | NC |
| Total | 146 | 25 | 42 | 460 | 58 | 626 | ||
Images for kids
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Colin McRae at the X Games XIII in 2007
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Colin McRae's Subaru Impreza which he drove to win the 1995 World Rally Championship.
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Colin McRae with a Ford Focus WRC at the 2001 Rally Finland.
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Colin McRae with a Citroën Xsara WRC at the 2003 Rally Acropolis.
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Colin McRae driving a Škoda Fabia WRC on the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff super special stage of the 2005 Rally GB.
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The Ferrari 550-GTS Maranello driven by McRae at the 2004 24 Hours of Le Mans.
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A tribute to Colin McRae during the 2007 Race of Champions.
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Colin's father, Jimmy, driving a Porsche 911 at the 2008 Colin McRae Forest Stages.
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A Colin McRae R4 on display at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.
See also
In Spanish: Colin McRae para niños
