10 years since we lost a rally legend Tributes paid to Colin Mcrae on anniversary

Tributes have poured in for Lanark rally legend Colin Mcrae ahead of the 10th anniversary of his death tomorrow (Friday).

Mcrae died aged 39 on September 15, 2007 in a helicopter crash near his Jerviswood House home in Lanark, which also claimed the lives of his son Johnny, Johnny’s friend Ben Porcelli and family friend Graeme Duncan.

Colin was British rally champion in 1991 and 1992 and in 1995 became the first British person and the youngest to win the World Rally Championship title.

His last rally win was in the Safari Rally in East Africa in 2002, and in 2008 Colin was posthumously inducted into the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame.

Motorsport journalist John Fife paid tribute to Colin in an article he wrote for the Jaggy Bunnet.

He said: “I don’t use the word ‘hero’ lightly, but in this unique case, that one single word sums up how I regard a prodigious talent.

“Indeed, I was disappointed when he left the World Rally Championship behind, because I felt there were more world titles to come and records to be broken.

“Don’t get me wrong, he was no angel. Infuriating? Yes. Stubborn? He could teach mules. Timekeeping? Hair-raising stuff, often accompanied by the screech of hot rubber on tarmac with a heat haze rising from the brake discs.

“Returning phone calls? Forget it; then out of the blue the phone would ring: ‘John? Colin’, no remorse, no apology, it was as if he had just been speaking to you an hour before.

“His talent transcended national borders and national favourites. What you got was 100 per cent commitment, full throttle – no less.

“I feel very privileged. I watched a boy grow into manhood and become a hero.”

Uddingston rally co-driver Stuart Loudon said: “I still can’t believe it’s 10 years.

“I’ve been fortunate in that our families have been friends and I’ve co-driven for Alister on plenty of occasions but, like everybody else in our world, Colin was the absolute hero for me.

“I remember staying up all hours to hear him competing on the other side of the world.

“There are thousands of folk around the world just like me and that’s the thing about Colin – he became this massive global superstar but, at the same time, he kept his feet on the ground and remained a typical Lanarkshire lad.

“Colin was unique, he was real boy’s own hero and I’m not sure we’ll see that again.”