Colin McRae Dead

[MTV2]

THE former rally driving champion Colin McRae was killed and his five year-old son feared dead in a helicopter crash yesterday afternoon. The aircraft came down in Jerviswood, Lanarkshire, half a mile from the family's home and burst into flames just after 4pm.

 

Jean-Eric Freudiger, McRae's agent, said the 39-year-old driver had been piloting the helicopter himself. Also on board were believed to be his son Johnny, another adult - said by locals to be a school friend of McRae - and another child. McRae's wife Alison and their daughter Hollie, 9, were not on board, friends said.

 

Strathclyde police said in a statement: "Four people were onboard the helicopter," adding "The bodies were found within the helicopter which is owned by Mr Colin McRae of Jerviswood House, Lanark. It is believed he was onboard the helicopter."

 

McRae became Britain's first World Rally champion in 1995. He was one of the country's most successful sportsmen, achieving 25 wins in World Rally events and 42 podium places. He was a flamboyant driver, inspiring one the world's best-selling computer rally games.

 

 

The helicopter came down within half a mile of McRae's 16th-century home, which has an adjacent helipad. The weather had been overcast, with southwesterly winds gusting to 30 knots and good visibility.

 

Officers with dogs and torches continued to comb the woodland near the crash into the night.

 

McRae's wife, a childhood sweetheart and his former co-driver, was taken back to the house under police escort shortly after 6pm.

 

McRae's friend the rally journalist Jeremy Hart, who flew with him several times, described him as a "very good, very measured pilot".

 

"Colin regularly flew all over the UK and into Europe," said Hart. "He knew the terrain and conditions at Jerviswood very well.

 

"As a sportsman he was a true hero. As a driver Colin was misunderstood slightly as being reckless but everything you saw with him came from pure raw talent as opposed to being learnt. He was the Michael Schumacher of rally driving.

 

"It's so ironic that he should die in a helicopter crash when he had competed and had brushed with death so many times as a rally driver."

 

 

Source:http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/more_sport/article2461339.ece

 

i can't believe he's dead and his son too

[TiE23]

Yeah, heard about this too. I'm personally a big fan of Rally despite never being able to see contests on TV.

 

This is sort of not funny, but BongoBob told me that he played the DiRT (essentially Colin McRae: Dirt) demo and didn't like it. Then 5 minutes later I go to Digg and see that he died. Sucks much.

[BongoBob]

Damn, that sucks

[acdcfanbill]

Once I learned of all the moving parts in a helicopter, I knew I never wanted to ride in one. Anyway, R.I.P.

[Crow_Nest]

My dad and i saw it on the breaking news yesterday. This really really sucks since the death of steve irwin.

 

R.I.P. Colin McRae

[Sabretooth]

Yeah, I read about it. Sad news.

 

RIP Colin McRae.

[MTV2]

hmm, i played the DiRt demo for PS3 and i loved it and now want to get it, but i want to get Warhawk first. I was soo shocked when i saw this, i didn't believe it.

[Rogue15]

never heard of him before.