http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/ ... 461339.ece

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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 and another child. Police said there were no survivors.

 

 

 

McRae's wife Alison and their daughter Hollie, 9, were not on board, friends said.

 

 

 

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 home, Jervis House, a 16th-century tower house, which has an adjacent helipad. The weather had been overcast, with a light breeze, but visibility was good.

 

 

 

Strathclyde police said the extent of the fire damage was making identification a problem.

 

 

 

McRae's wife, a childhood sweetheart and his former co-driver, was taken back to the house under police escort shortly after 6pm. She looked calm, but neighbours gathering outside the house looked shaken with grief.

 

 

 

McRae's friend the rally journalist Jeremy Hart who flew with the champion several times described him as a "very good, very measured pilot whose natural ability with machinery was second to none". "Colin regularly flew all over the UK and into Europe," said Hart. "He knew the terrain and conditions at Jerviswood very well. It was the place he flew into most regularly.

 

 

 

"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."

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total bummer. :cry:

:| Even though I am not quite familiar with who he is.

I was watching the news 10 mintus ago and they hadn't actually confirmed it. They found the helicopter that was registered to him but it doesn't mean he was in it at the time, it may have been doing something else?

 

Regardless, condolences to the family of whoever died in the crash.

I'm just curious, but did anybody make a thread when Boris Yeltsen died in, I believe, April? Somewhere around that time anyways. It was a Monday. If not, Yeltsin was more important than this guy, why doe she deserve a thread? especially if it hasn;t been confirmed?

That is quite shocking, I remember him doing the games that I used to play on on the PS1 :shock:

 

 

 

R.I.P :cry:

yeah I loved the games, atleast it can be his sort of memory, his family can always hear his voice ( if his voice was in it ).

 

 

 

Oh well, helicopters are bad.

I'm just curious, but did anybody make a thread when Boris Yeltsen died in, I believe, April? Somewhere around that time anyways. It was a Monday. If not, Yeltsin was more important than this guy, why doe she deserve a thread? especially if it hasn;t been confirmed?

I guess it depends on which country you live in. Personally I've never heard of Boris Yeltsen but I have heard of Colin McRae. Even if you don't think someone doesn't 'deserve' a thread about their (possible) death at least be respectful?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/gla ... 996860.stm

 

 

 

Not confirmed yet :( hope his alive

I'm just curious, but did anybody make a thread when Boris Yeltsen died in, I believe, April? Somewhere around that time anyways. It was a Monday. If not, Yeltsin was more important than this guy, why doe she deserve a thread? especially if it hasn;t been confirmed?

I guess it depends on which country you live in. Personally I've never heard of Boris Yeltsen but I have heard of Colin McRae. Even if you don't think someone doesn't 'deserve' a thread about their (possible) death at least be respectful?

 

Yea, I was a little out of line. Anyways, Boris Yeltsin was the first president of democratic Russia, not exactly my kind of guy but he was pretty cool. Stood on a tank during a protest and everything. His chief aid or something, General Volkogonov, wrote the biography on lenin with the Soviet archives that i read.

If not, Yeltsin was more important than this guy, why doe she deserve a thread? especially if it hasn;t been confirmed?

 

I didn't care about Yeltsin and didn't care that he died, why would that bother me? I'm more concerned about a former world-champion rally driver from my own country thanks. He's always provided Scotland with some entertainment. He was always a nice guy too.

 

 

 

I really hope it's not Colin. Sad news if it is him :(

Wow, i though you where joking in regards to the title :(

I just heard that it's been recently confirmed he was in the helicopter :(

 

 

 

Condolences to his family.. he got me, and i'm sure thousands of others, interested in motorsport.

I'm just curious, but did anybody make a thread when Boris Yeltsen died in, I believe, April? Somewhere around that time anyways. It was a Monday. If not, Yeltsin was more important than this guy, why doe she deserve a thread? especially if it hasn;t been confirmed?

 

 

 

Who the [bleep] are you to rate an innocent man's death lower than another man's death?

 

 

 

Pathetic. You're pathetic.

I'm just curious, but did anybody make a thread when Boris Yeltsen died in, I believe, April? Somewhere around that time anyways. It was a Monday. If not, Yeltsin was more important than this guy, why doe she deserve a thread? especially if it hasn;t been confirmed?

 

 

 

Who the [bleep] are you to rate an innocent man's death lower than another man's death?

 

 

 

Pathetic. You're pathetic.

 

 

 

Yea seriously, human life is always precious no matter who it is, and in the big picture no one is "important".

Yea seriously, human life is always precious no matter who it is, and in the big picture no one is "important".

 

 

 

Tell that to cops, and newsreaders. If an unknown man dies in a car crash, and say, Ben Stiller does, who would people care more for?

Yea seriously, human life is always precious no matter who it is, and in the big picture no one is "important".

 

 

 

Tell that to cops, and newsreaders. If an unknown man dies in a car crash, and say, Ben Stiller does, who would people care more for?

 

 

 

I didn't say who people would care about more, I said who was more important (and I'm still holding that nobody is important).

Yea seriously, human life is always precious no matter who it is, and in the big picture no one is "important".

 

 

 

Tell that to cops, and newsreaders. If an unknown man dies in a car crash, and say, Ben Stiller does, who would people care more for?

 

 

 

I'd care the same for both.

 

 

 

I'd know more about Ben Stiller because it'd be all over the news.

 

 

 

OT:I have no idea who this guy is.

I don't know who he was, but it is truly tragic. :( May he rest in peace.

Why must the moderately famous die young?

Damn, I used to love watching him rally when I was younger, he was a real showman :(

 

 

 

Can't believe this has happened, looks likes it's him though.

Yeah i heard about this on the news before it was announced that it was actually him.

 

 

 

 

 

Sad :( As we know, his video games opened a whole generation to the sport that is rally car driving.

Strange, I thought he died a few years ago from cancer... :-s

 

I didn't realise he was still alive until this.

 

 

 

Oh well R.I.P Colin Mcrae, I guess.

Man, that's pretty shocking news. Although I never seen rally or something, he was one of those mysterious figures that popped up during my youth every once in a while. You know, the type of guy you'd never expect to die. Man.

I'm very sad that this happened. :( He was a great guy, and an amazing driver.

 

 

 

Video Tribute:

 

http://youtube.com/watch?v=Zwb-RNbdx5U

I'm just curious, but did anybody make a thread when Boris Yeltsen died in, I believe, April? Somewhere around that time anyways. It was a Monday. If not, Yeltsin was more important than this guy, why doe she deserve a thread? especially if it hasn;t been confirmed?

He was the man that put Putin in power, of course nobody cared that he died.