Former World Rally Champion Colin McRae died in a helicopter accident at the age of 39. He will be remembered as one of the greatest rally drivers. A keen helicopter pilot, the crash occurred at 4.10pm local time in Jerviswood, about a mile from Lanark, Scotland and is understood to have caught fire. The Squirrel aircraft came down with four people onboard. The accident is especially tragic since it also involved Colin's son Johnny, 5, friend Ben Porcelli, 6, and Graeme Duncan, 37.

Former World Rally Champion Colin McRae died in a helicopter accident at the age of 39. He will be remembered as one of the greatest rally drivers. 

A keen helicopter pilot, the crash occurred at 4.10pm local time in Jerviswood, about a mile from Lanark, Scotland and is understood to have caught fire. The Squirrel aircraft came down with four people onboard. The accident is especially tragic since it also involved Colin?s son Johnny, 5, friend Ben Porcelli, 6, and Graeme Duncan, 37.

The Scot won the world title for Subaru in 1995, was runner-up on three occasions, and for a while held the record for most wins in individual rallies with 25.But McRae will not be remembered for the statistics of his career. Instead, it was his attacking driving style that endeared him to millions of fans around the world. His risk-taking style set him apart from his rivals, and won him his legions of admirers, but it also meant he did not win as many rallies or world titles as his talent deserved.

He was arguably the quickest driver of his era, but his speed was undermined since he was as likely to end a rally upside down in a ditch as on the winners' rostrum. But those errors did nothing to harm his popularity, which was enhanced by a successful series of Colin McRae Rally computer games licensed with his name.

The reach of McRae's reputation was such that, even four years after his full-time career in the World Rally Championship was over, he was at the time of his death still probably the most famous rally driver in the world.

McRae came from a well-known Scottish motor racing family; his father, Jimmy, is a five-time British rally champion and his brother, Alister, is also a former British rally champion.

McRae won the British rally title himself in 1991 and '92 and took his first victory on the world stage in New Zealand in 1993, driving a Subaru Impreza. He went on to help the team to three consecutive world titles ? including his own, which he won at the final round after a close battle with team-mate Sainz. It gave him the honor of becoming Britain's first world rally champion and he was awarded an MBE by the Queen the following year for his services to motorsport. He was a leading figure in the world championship for a decade, driving for Ford and Citroen as well as Subaru.

Although McRae found himself without a WRC drive in 2004, McRae filled in his time with appearances on the Dakar Rally, and the Le Mans 24-Hour Race, as well as intermittent one-off returns to the world rally championship; the penultimate appearance was in Australia in '05, when he finished third in an unfancied Skoda.

Along with Englishman Richard Burns, who won the world title for Subaru in 2001, he was at the head of a golden generation of British rally driving talent, and they sparked renewed interest in the sport in this country. Both men are now gone; Burns died in 2005 after a long battle against a brain tumor - but their legacy remains.

McRae's fascination with cars began at the age of two, and by the time he was seven he was on motorbikes, competing in trials events within five years, winning junior and intermediate championships by the age of 14.

He swapped his trial bike for an autotest car and took part in his first rally in 1985. His debut was on the Kames Stages in Scotland and, despite dropping off the side of the road, finished 14th overall and first in class in his first event. He joined the family heating and plumbing business, although he spent more time in the garage helping to maintain the company vans.

He became British champion in 1991 and '92 and was world championship runner-up in 1996, '97 and '01, taking third place in '98.

McRae helped Subaru to the Manufacturers' title three times in the 1990s and for Citroën in 2003.

At Le Mans, sharing a Ferrari 550 Maranello with Rickard Rydell and Darren Turner, the trio achieved a podium finish.

Born in Lanark, Scotland, McRae shared his time between there and Monaco. He leaves a wife, Alison, and a daughter Hollie. His son Johnny also died in the crash. We extend our condolences to his family.
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