Colin McRae Dies In Helicopter Crash
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39 year old Rally car racer Colin McRae, a licensed helicopter pilot, was flying around near his home in Jerviswood, Lanarkshire on Saturday when the crash occurred. Flying with him was his 5-year-old son, 6-year-old Ben Porcelli and 37-year-old Graeme Duncan. All were pronounced dead on the scene.
McRae was the son of five-time British rally champion Jimmy McRae. Colin began his career in 1986 on the local Scottish rally circuit and never looked back. McRae was the British champion in 1991 and 1992 and made his breakthrough on the world stage in 1993 when he won the New Zealand Rally. He became Britain's first World Rally champion in 1995, achieved 25 wins in World Rally events and 42 podium places. Most recently he became involved in ESPN's X-Games.
To the younger audience Colin was probably best known for his video games series. CodeMasters, the publisher of McRae's games, had this to say, "For over ten years, Colin was part of the Codemasters family and it was a privilege to have a man recognized as a true legend on the team. He always took a keen interest in the game experience, wanting to make sure it was without equal in its portrayal of the sport."
Colin McRae is survived by his wife Alison and daughter Hollie.
