Colin McRae: Behind the Racer (Part 2)
Unable to get a team to sign him, Colin McRae decided to pursue his other interest. He completed the Dakar Rally, and took part in the 24 hours Le Mans race. In the years 2005-2006, McRae was representing Britain in the Race of
Champions. McRae also made his debut in the Dakar Rally, driving for Nissan in 2004. He scored two stage wins and returned next year to be the fastest on two of the three stages in Morocco before he had to retire from the race due to a crash at the end of
stage 6. On 5th August, 2005, McRae competed for Subaru in Los Angeles in the “X-Games”. He rolled his car which damaged the front bumper and the front left tire. He kept on going, and came in second. In September 2006, he was randomly entered in
the Rally Turkey where he replaced his former team mate Sebastian Loeb who was recovering from injuries. He didn’t even make the top ten lists due to a problem in the alternator. McRae also competed in non rally racing as well. He competed in “Ascar”, which
is the British version of NASCAR, and finished in 6th place. He also re-joined Prodrive, and drove their Ferrari 550-GTS for the 24 Hour Le Mans race. He finished in 9th place. In 2007, McRae claimed to still be searching a way to get
into the 2008 WRC season.
During 2006, Colin unveiled his creation to the world. His “McRae R4”, which he had been thinking of since 2005. The car was specifically made for rallying, rally cross, etc. McRae designed the car with Dave Plant and built it
with DJM Race Preparation. The chassis of the car was based on the steel safety cage. The front and back panels were made of carbon fiber and the cockpit was covered by steel. The suspensions were made of two wishbones with dampers. The styling of the body
was done with Keith Burden and Tom Webster. The engine was a 4 cylinder, 2.5 liter Millington Diamond Engine capable of creating 350 Horse Power. It came with manual or semi manual transmission.
Tragedy struck on 15th September, 2007 when Colin’s helicopter crashed about one mile away from his birthplace of Lanark in Scotland. McRae’s son Johnny and two other family friends died in the crash along with him.
The funeral for Colin and Johnny took place on Wednesday 26th, September near Glasgow. An address was given by the former rally driver and commentator, Robbie Head along with Rev. Houston giving the beneficiation. A “celebration of life” service
was held at St.Nicholas Church in Lanark. Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton sang the song “Island in the Steam” which was a favourite of Johnny’s.
McRae’s death left the world shocked and in grieving. Many people held tributes in the name of Colin McRae. A good friend of McRae, David Coulthard, claimed that he would race in the Formula One wearing a helmet which was similar
to the one that Colin wore during his races. He also had a forest stage named after him in Perth, Scotland. Even in the video game, Colin McRae: Dirt 2, there is a race series by his name. When a player wins this series, they are rewarded by a video that pays
a tribute to the greatest Rally Racer in the world.
A team from the United Kingdom Department for Transport Air Accidents Investigation Branch investigated the crash scene with the cooperation of police. It was found out later that McRae had not undertaken his latest competency
test (required every 5 years). The report was unclear as to what really caused the crash, stating that “the helicopter crashed in a wooded valet while maneuvering at high speeds and low height…” and went on to say “…there were indications that the pilot had
started a recovery but, with insufficient height in which to complete it, the helicopter struck trees in the valley and crashed, killing all four occupants”.
Colin McRae was an amazing athlete. He could push his vehicle to the limit without going overboard. Like most heroes, Colin McRae taught us lessons to better our lives. We should learn from his success and his failures. Colin McRae
will forever be etched in the halls of sporting history.
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