colin+mcrae

colin steele mcrae mbe (5 august 1968 -15 september 2007) was a scottish rally driver born in lanark the son of five time brititsh rally driver jimmy mcrae and brother of rally driver alisetr mcrae colin mcrae was the 1991 and 1992 british rally champion and in 1995 became the first brito to win the world rally championship drivers title.Mcraes subaru won the world rallychampionship constructers title three times in succesion in 1995, 1996 and 1997. After a four year spell with the Ford World Rallye Sport team, which saw McRae win nine events, he moved to Citroën World Rally Team in 2003 where, despite not an event, he helped them win the first of their three consecutive manufacturers' titles. He was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire for services to motorsport in 1996.[|[][|2][|]] McRae died in a helicopter accident in September 2007 which also claimed the life of his son as well as two family friends. In november he was inducted into the scottish sports hall of fameat an early age, although the Scot was more interested in four wheeled machines rather than two wheel bikes. At the age of sixteen, through the Coltness Car Club, McRae discovered autotesting, he soon traded his bike for a Mini Cooper and started competing. A year later, however, he began to negotiate with another club member to use his Hillman Avenger for the Kames Stages, a single–staged rally venue not far from McRae's home, the Scot finished the event fourteenth; first in his class although he had run most of the event in a higher position In 1986, driving a Talbot Sunbeam, McRae entered the Scottish Rally Championship and soon made a name for himself with his speed and exciting style of driving. His driving style drew many comparisons to Finnish ex-World Rally Champion Ari Vatanen, who McRae had always idolised. In 1988 he performed a giant killing act when he took the Scottish Rally Championship series crown in a humble Vauxhall Nova. Craving more power, his next car was a Ford Sierra XR 4x4. His first WRC event was the 1987 Swedish Rally behind the wheel of his Nova, and again two years later, driving the Sierra and finishing 15th overall. Later that year, he finished 5th overall at Rally New Zealand in a rear wheel drive Sierra Cosworth. By 1990 McRae was driving a Sierra Cosworth 4x4 and achieved sixth place in that year's RAC Rally, despite several accidents. 1991 saw McRae turn professional as he was signed by Prodrive boss David Richards to his Subaru team in the British Rally Championship or an annual wage of approximately £10,000.[|[][|8][|]] McRae was British Rally Champion in both 1991 and 1992, soon graduating to the Subaru factory team at World Rally Championship level 1992 also saw Colin McRae make his début in the British Touring Car Championship, with a one-off appearance for the Prodrive-run BMW factory team at the Knockhill round. In the last of the three races of the event, McRae collided with Matt Neal Race officials found McRae to have caused an avoidable collision and subsequently disqualified him.[|[][|10][|]]