Rally champion Colin McRae dies with son in helicopter crash


Recommended Posts

Rally champion Colin McRae, his five-year-old son, a six-year-old boy and a family friend have been killed in a helicopter crash.

Strathclyde Police released the names of the four people they thought were on board the crashed aircraft on Saturday.

Mr McRae, 39, his son Johnny, the youngster's friend Ben Porcelli and family friend Graeme Duncan, 37, were all thought to be on board.

Formal identification is expected in the next few days.

Ch Supt Tim Love from Strathclyde Police said the crash was not survivable and it was very difficult to tell the aircraft had been a helicopter.

He added that the families have been shattered by the news.

Air accident investigators have started searching the helicopter crash site near Mr McRae's home in Lanarkshire on Saturday.

The Scottish Subaru Imprezza Owners' Club have been leaving tributes at the entrance to the house.

About 40 firefighters attended the accident which happened in woods just north of Lanark at 1600 BST.

Motorsport pays tribute

Users of the rally champion's official website www.colinmcrae.com were greeted by a black screen on Sunday with no information available.

Police have been at the scene throughout the night and a cordon has been thrown around the area, including a private road up to the McRae family home.

Mr McRae, who is married with two young children, was Britain's first rally world champion in 1995 and is the son of five times British rallying champion Jimmy McRae.

Wider fame

Mr McRae admitted to enjoying the adrenaline rush of activities such as bungee jumping and was a keen pilot.

Nicky Grist, his co-driver since 1997, said: "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."

Mr McRae moved to the principality of Monaco in 1995, partly through his friendship with David Coulthard.

But as his family grew up, he spent more time back at his home in Lanarkshire. He and his wife Alison bought the 17th century Jerviswood House.

Rev Bryan Kerr, minister of Lanark Greyfriars Church and a neighbour of the McRae family, said: "A lot of people have been stunned by this and our thoughts go out to all of the families affected.

"This will be hugely devastating, particularly in such a small community. You just don't expect these things to happen on your doorstep especially when it is someone who is so well known and well liked in the town.

"The town's ministers have spoken to each other and special prayers will be offered for all those affected by the tragedy and remembering those who are working on the rescue efforts and trying to piece together what happened."

First Minister Alex Salmond said: "Colin McRae was an outstanding Scottish sportsman of international stature and achievement.

"His death is a great tragedy, and my thoughts and condolences are with all the families and friends bereaved by this terrible accident."

Video games

His brother, Alister, is also a professional rally driver and has enjoyed some success, including winning the British Rally Championship in 1995.

Mr McRae's sister is a doctor at the University Hospital in County Durham and she too enjoys rally driving.

Police at Colin McRae's home

The crash happened near the rally champion's home

He also achieved wider fame by endorsing a range of successful video games. Codemasters released the first Colin McRae Rally title in 1998.

'Colin McRae: DiRT' was the title for the latest instalment of the games series which launched this year on PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

Stars from the world of motorsport have been paying tribute to Mr McRae.

Fellow Scot and Formula One ace David Coulthard, said: "He and Alison were good friends and I cannot imagine either without the other.

"He was fearless, flamboyant, blindingly quick in the car.

"We had some great times and his passing is a terrible blow for the McRae family and everyone who came in contact with him."

Well it has been confirmed now. It is such a shame that his five year old son died, not to mention one of his sons friends - a six year old. It must of been a terrible crash for the debris not to have been recognisable as a helicopter...I suppose that is also why the bodies where not ID'd straight away. Such a tragic accident :(.

Rest In Peace Colin McRae and all those who died alongside him :(

OMG - that is insane! Some coincidence.

Its a sad day for the world of motorsport - my thoughts are with his wife who has to face losing a son and a husband in the same day - terrible :(

R.I.P Colin McRae

This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Posts

    • There might be some passive design improvements (cooling, etc), but I doubt they'd change the core performance spec of the hardware mid-generation when they've already got a new console in development.
    • State of Decay 3 is out in 2027, reveals Plague Nests with new co-op gameplay trailer by Pulasthi Ariyasinghe A few months ago, Undead Labs broke its silence about the third entry in the State of Decay series since its announcement in 2020. Today, the studio had a brand-new trailer to reveal at the Xbox Games Showcase, finally giving players a look at the Unreal Engine 5-powered title. A broad 2027 release window is now attached to State of Decay 3 too. The studio confirmed that every scene seen in the gameplay trailer (except for the studio logo) released today is from the game with no cinematic footage. "The quality bar of the moment-to-moment experience is higher than anything we’ve achieved in Undead Labs’ history," says the studio. "State of Decay 3 is being built in Unreal Engine 5, and we’re creating better quality versions of what makes our game the survival sandbox it is, and the combat experience is really, really important to us, and I think you can see it coming through in this trailer." One new aspect of this upcoming entry is the Plague Nests. These are supposed to be dynamic, dungeon‑like enemy hubs with varied “personas” that change tactics each time one appears on a map. These areas will have the best loot in the game for players brave enough to tackle them. The combat system is being overhauled too, letting players do quick and power attacks depending on the situation. This isn't just on the player's side though, as zombies themselves now have multiple new types of behaviors depending on how fresh or decayed they are. "All of these play very differently, especially as you start getting outnumbered or when you’re making noise and running around and trying to save your rear end or the rear end of your friend next to you," adds the developer. Of course, settlement building and community management are massive parts of this third entry too. These are being further expanded with the cooperative focus, giving players much more freedom for playing together than in State of Decay 2. Players will even be able to split up and build settlements in different areas of the same map with different goals. Undead Labs confirmed that playtests are already ongoing for the title, and interested players can sign up to participate by heading over here once more slots open up ahead of the full release. State of Decay 3 is coming out on PC, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Game Pass sometime in 2027.
    • Doom: The Dark Ages Revelations expansion gives the Slayer a brutal Chain Spear by Pulasthi Ariyasinghe Last year, id Software released Doom: The Dark Ages as a prequel to its reboot series, offering a look at the legendary Slayer character during an ancient war between Hell and Heaven. Today, at the Xbox Games Showcase, id Software returned with a new announcement that unveiled Doom: The Dark Ages Revelations as its first story expansion. The expansion will see the Slayer being betrayed and cast into a "merciless purgatory only escapable by confronting haunting truths." Somehow, there is one ally in all this chaos seemingly attempting to help our protagonist escape his fate. Players will be ascending this prison and fighting plenty of new demons and abominations as they work to free the Slayer's followers. One new aspect of the expansion will be the Chain Spear. This new weapon is described by the studio as a "uniquely satisfying combat system that rewards mastery with a potent combination of power and mobility." Check out the trailer below to see the new weapon in action, where the Slayer is seen using it to even pin enemies to walls. id Software is also preparing a free update to all owners of Doom: The Dark Ages that will land alongside the new paid expansion. Dubbed the Ripatorium 3.0 update, this will add more customization options, an improved pass code generation system, and preset options for players diving into the game's arena challenge mode. Expansion buyers will also receive additional maps, demons, and new weapons to use in this mode in addition to the story levels. Doom: The Dark Ages Revelations expansion is out on July 7 across PC, Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5 with a $19.99 price tag. Those who own the Premium Edition or the Collector's Bundle will receive the expansion for no extra cost as well.
    • Hyped for this. Replayed the remasters recently and they're so well done, and Crash 4 was great too. I trust this team to deliver.
  • Recent Achievements

    • Proficient
      Eric Biran went up a rank
      Proficient
    • Dedicated
      Conjor earned a badge
      Dedicated
    • Week One Done
      Windows Guy earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • Dedicated
      Mark Spruce earned a badge
      Dedicated
    • Collaborator
      conkir earned a badge
      Collaborator
  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      492
    2. 2
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      248
    3. 3
      Steven P.
      72
    4. 4
      +Edouard
      68
    5. 5
      ATLien_0
      67
  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!