Billy Connolly, Dario Franchitti, Shirley Manson of Garbage, Richie Gray, Greig Laidlaw, Stuart Hogg, Finn Russell, Gavin Hastings, Chris Paterson, the late Bill McLaren, David Coulthard, Sir Jackie Stewart, Sir Sean Connery, Gerard Butler, the late William Wallace, James McAvoy, Andy Gray, Andy Robertson, Tilda Swinton, Andy Murray, Gordon Brown, Colin Montgomerie, Ewan McGregor, Billy Boyd, Karen Gillan, Ian McDiarmid, Robert Carlyle, Franz Ferdinand, The Proclaimers, Simple Minds, Biffy Clyro, Ewen Bremner, Paul di Resta, David Tennant, Peter Capaldi, Denis Lawson, the late Jim Clark, Calvin Harris, The Fratellis, Allan McNish, Drew McIntyre, Sir Chris Hoy...these are the famous faces of Scotland (Home of bagpipes, haggis, the Loch Ness monster & the tartan), but we can now reveal the one & only great Scot, a professional rally driver like no other with 25 wins & only 1 World Rally Championship to his belt, he is the one & only, Colin Steele McRae, now in this blog, I will tell you about the life & times of Colin McRae (He is the son of Jimmy & the brother of Alister) so here's one of the famous Scotsman, Sir Chris Hoy with that story:
I'm Chris Hoy, Olympic cycling champion, & lifelong fan of rally driving. Now I'm going to retrace the steps of one of my all-time sporting heroes, 90's rally legend, Colin McRae. With the help of his friends & family, I'm on a mission to uncover, what made him to such a revered driver. By tempting to drive like Colin, I'll discover a man who lived life to the limit, and drove to the limit too, like all geniuses, he had his flaws, but he was respected around the world. Now I'm going to experience the Colin McRae story...From the driver's seat.
As a professional cyclist, I've been crowned world champion 11 times, an Olympic champion on 6 occasions. But that doesn't stop me looking for the next big thrill. This is my purpose built track car, the toy that feeds me my love of speed.
Of course when it comes to driving, I'm just an amateur, but that hasn't stopped me wandering what life what have been like had I've chosen a different route, like Colin McRae.
Sadly, Colin died when a helicopter he was piloting crashed in 2007, the tragedy also claimed the life of his son & 2 other people. But for legions of fans, his success of a rally driver still an inspiration.
Now I'm going to retrace the steps of Britain's 1st world rally champion, & with the help of his friends & family, I tempt to drive just like Colin.
Before I meet those who knew him best, I want to understand what made Colin McRae legendary. So I'm getting the lowdown from a man who knows what it takes to drive a rally car. Meet American rally driver, Ken Block. Block is a superstar, famous for his trademark urban rally driving, which is becoming an internet phenomenon. In terms of driving style, Ken is as close as it gets to McRae, so with the help of archive footage, I wanted to grill him on what made Colin tick.
Bravery seems to be a key ingredient in a rally driver's makeup, & Colin's mantra of ''If in doubt, flat out'' often gave him the upper hand, but this approach also earnt him the nickname, 'Colin McCrash'. Colin was the 1st rally driver to gain notoriety in the USA, helped by a spectacular performance in America's 1st ever televised rally.
Another thing Colin is famous for, is his computer game. The legend's franchise has sold over 10 million copies worldwide, making him a household name. I just hoped my driving would be better in a few days time, when I be doing this for real.
My 1st meeting with the McRae family is at Colin's farm in Lanarkshire, the house that he & his wife Alison made their family home.
My guide for the next few days would be Colin's dad Jimmy, who's a 5 time British rally champion, can take some of the credit for his son's glittering career.
To my amazement, Colin's treasured car collection is still housed here.
Every car we uncovered revealed another part of this fascinating story, the auto test Mini he drove aged 14, the Talbot Sunbeam he learnt to rally in, & his 1st professional car.
But there was one car that Jimmy had a special connection with.
Rallied by Jimmy, Colin & his brother Alister, this family played a part in all of their careers.
Jimmy was going to take me back where it all started for Colin.
We were going to find out exactly how his son became a rally legend. And I had a feeling that it might be a bumpy ride.
Colin's driving ability was obviously in his DNA. But I know his personal experience, that it takes hard work to get the top in your game.
His story starts on 2 wheels. By the age of 13, Colin showed promise on a motor bike. And had befriended Scottish junior champion, Robbie Allan.
Within a year, Colin had taken the Scottish junior scrambles crown, making a name for himself as one of the best young talents in the country.
But to his mother's relief, Colin didn't want to be a motorcyclist, he wanted to follow in his father's footsteps & become a professional rally driver.
In 1988 Colin entered the Scottish Rally Championship, in a humble Vauxhall Nova, one of the slowest cars in a 10 stage competition that year.
But keeping up with his father's Sierra would be impossible.
It remind challenging that year's favourite. Gillanders drove a Metro that it was so powerful it was eventually banned.
But that didn't stop Colin having a go.
Just a few rallies into the season, to everybody's amazement, Colin was keeping up with the big players.
Now McRae junior had a fighting chance to beat Gillanders in his monster Metro.
Colin & his co-driver Derek were steadily catching the leader of the pack.
By the final rally of the '88 season, Colin was poised to win the Scottish title.
The 20 year old was ready for a showdown.
But early in the rally, Gillanders lost control of his mighty Metro.
With his rival gone, Colin had won the Scottish Championship, but in his sign of things to come, he drove flat out anyway.
My next meeting with Jimmy is at the Sweet Lamb rally complex in mid Wales. Eventually, I'm going to emulate Colin McRae, by driving a world class rally car. But to get there, I must 1st learn the basics in a Talbot Sunbeam, which is exactly Colin did.
Throwing a rally car round a corner is like intricate dance routine, something that Colin had down to a fine art.
Back at Sweet Lamb, I was ready for my attempt at cornering.
I could see how Colin's experiences in motorbikes helped him, rallying is all about balancing the car, & understanding how it reacts to the slightest of movements.
Fortunately my career in 2 wheels seems to have stood me in good stead.
But riding a bike is a world away from my final challenge, driving a world rally spec Subaru Impreza.
Colin was signed by Subaru in 1991, at the age 23, he was at last a professional rally driver.
He started out in the British Rally Championship, which he won 2 years on the trot, his spectacular driving style in dared him to the fans, & fortunately, his new employers have deep enough pockets to keep providing him with new cars.
By the '93 season, Subaru were ready to give the young superstar a shot on the world stage.
Despite huge investment, the team were yet to win a single rally in the World Championship.
But the car he won 2 British titles in, Colin was totally at ease.
As the results came in, the final outcome was impossible to call.
But Colin had done it.
By 1995, Subaru's fortunes were changing, they had a powerful new car, the Impreza. And had signed up double world champion Carlos Sainz to lead the team.
With 2 rallies to go, McRae was just ahead of Sainz in the race for the driver's prize.
But Subaru were worried that the fight might end in a crash.
In the penultimate rally of the season, the pair were way ahead of the pack, when they ordered to stop racing each other.
But when the order came, Colin was in 2nd place.
In Spain, Colin recorded a faster time than Carlos, but his disobedience had jeopardized his chances of winning anything.
Colin was forced to give the victory to Sainz, meaning that they went to the final rally of the season on equal points.
Determined to become Britain's 1st ever world champion, Colin McRae drove like never before in front of his home crowd.
Quite simply, he was unbeatable.
Soon, I'm going to recreate Colin's famous victory, by driving the legendary WRC Impreza. And for my next lesson, I'm at a disused aerodrome awaiting an old friend of Colin's, Ken Block.
It may look like a thrill ride, but this car has a setup to handle just like a rally car would on gravel.
Using amazing dexterity, Ken was demonstrating how to keep the car perfectly balanced at all times.
To succeed in the Impreza, I needed to take note, especially is there is just 1 obstacle to tackle. A Vulcan bomber.
After his 1995 world title, Colin was at a all-time high, and away from the track, he married the girl of his dreams.
Colin had it all, he was the fastest rally driver of his generation, but his inconsistency opened the door, to an up & coming rival.
The Finn beat Colin to the world title in 1996, 97, 98 & 99.
But Colin and his Subaru team didn't like coming 2nd.
The losses had put Colin's relationship with Subaru under serious strain.
In the end, the team could not stop it's frustrated star from seeking pastures new.
Colin's new employers had high hopes for their latest car, the Focus.
Ford made Colin the highest paid rally driver in history.
But Colin had gone from a proven car he knew well, to one with teething problems, that was unfamiliar.
And without the firm hand of his old boss to keep in check, McRae often pushed his new machine beyond his limits.
The combination of extreme driving & mechanical failures, meant that Colin finished just 3 out of 14 rallies in 1999.
But his uncompromising commitment to being the fastest, was earning him more respect than ever before.
By 2000 Colin had a legendary reputation, but winning championships requires a more calculating approach.
But away from the madness of rally driving, Colin was growing up, He & Alison bought a farm in their home county of Lanarkshire, & were starting a family. And McRae's newfound responsibility was changing him as a driver too. Come 2001, he seemingly bonded him with his Focus.
But standing in his way was a young English star, driving for his old team.
McRae had a big point to prove against the Subaru driver, & what was held as the battle of Britain.
By the final rally of the season, Colin led by a single point. All he needed to do is to drive faster than Burns, & the world championship would be his.
Once again, after all the hopes & expectations, Colin had pushed it too far.
It was Colin's last real chance at the championship, 2 years later, he left the WRC to seek pastures new.
I'm in Azucar, Morocco, where Colin came to prepare for his next big challenge.
Unable to find the right offer from a WRC team, Colin turned to endurance racing, finishing 3rd in his class at Le Mans, before competing in the Dakar twice. The Dakar rally is the ultimate off-road marathon. The last time Colin entered it in 2005, it stretched from Barcelona, through the deserts of North Africa, before finishing in Senegal.
It seemed that rather than enjoy a little time off, Colin was intent on taking things up a gear.
I was about to get a taste of the world's longest rally, courtesy of Jimmy. And he lined up a very special vehicle. Developed by Colin's brother Alister, The McRae Enduro. This beast of a 4 by 4 is powerful enough to lug through the finest sand, is able to run for 2000 kilometres on a single tank, can cool itself for a searing heat, & has suspension that soaks up the toughest of terrains. Designed especially for the Dakar, The Enduro is quite simply, the beast of the car.
Jimmy didn't start rallying until he was in his 30s, & has a result, he missed out on international competitions like the Dakar. But I had a feeling had he started a little longer, He would have made for a name of himself, on the world stage.
Sadly, Colin never experienced a thrill of his brother Alister's creation. But at least Jimmy's been able to get his teeth into this 1.8 ton monster vehicle.
Winning the Dakar requires an equal mix of man & machine. And the true test of that was living on the horizon.
The Sahara desert is an unforgiving place, but it wasn't hard to see why Colin jumped at the chance to rally here.
In 2005, Colin blew the competition away, by the time he reached Africa, he built up an unbeliveable lead of over 5 minutes. And on my adventure, Jimmy was also getting the groove.
The McRae family truly are legendary dynasty of rallyers, but the reason Colin was so spectacular was he pushed his car to the absolute limit. A few stages from the 2005 finish, he wiped out. Once again, his flat out style saw another dream in tatters.
Back in the desert, I hoped we wouldn't have a similar experience. But then we got completely stuck.
My respect for Colin was growing by the limit, but then we found a magic button, that made life a whole lot easier.
Thanks to the car's self lifting mechanism, it was my turn at the wheel.
Jimmy is a very brave man.
I wanted to make my teacher proud, & if there is one thing learnt from Colin, It's the in knee situations, it's best to drive as fast a possible.
Our day in a desert was over, & what a day it would been.
Despite leaving the WRC, Colin continued to follow in his dreams, & to push himself, even further. By 2006, he was back in Scotland planning to return to rallying, but as a budding entrepreneur.
He designed a purpose built rally car, called the McRae R4. This concept vehicle was aimed to be a semi-professional market.
After years of work, he debuted the car in 2007.
But the R4 project was to remain unfinished.
The circumstances of the crash are well documented. But I wanted Jimmy to know that his son will always have a place in motorsport history.
5 years after Colin's untimely death, I'm going to recreate his most inspiring victory. By driving the same rally stage that he clinched the 1995 world title on.
As a top cyclist, I'm used to endless training, but I'm not sure if anything can prepare me for the challenge that awaits. Taking the control of a genuine WRC Subaru Impreza.
In the hands of a professional, this finely tuned 4 wheel drive beast, is capable of breakneck speeds, no matter what to what to any throw at it. The stakes couldn't be higher.
But fortunately, I'll have Colin's co-driver from 1995 by my side, Derek Ringer.
I was finally ready for the drive of my life. I'd just hoped that I make Jimmy proud.
As I attempted to tame the Impreza, by suddenly understood something Colin once said: ''If in doubt, flat out.''
And that's all folks for the life & times of Scottish rally driver, Colin McRae
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