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Colin McRae Memories
(17 posts, started )
#1 - ATC Quicksilver
Colin McRae Memories
The idea of this thread is to remember Colin by posting your favourite pictures, videos or quotes. Before you ask, no the movie and picture threads are not good enough, and nor is the thread about his accident. I want this thread to celebrate the best moments in his career, and perhaps show people who have never heard of him what a great man he was.

Please post only these things, to keep it simple...

Pictures
Video Clips
Quotes
Short stories (perhaps if you met him)

I don't want people to talk about his accident in this thead, this is celebrating the life of a legend, not talking about how it ended. Thank you.
#2 - Origamiboy
#3 - thisnameistaken
#4 - Storm_Cloud
I've already posted this on my team forum, but I think this is the kind of thing you're looking for?

Myself and my best mate marshalled on the Manx Rally this year. Colin entered just for a bit of fun in his Mk II Escort. He was up against plenty of WRC and Group N cars driven by top national runners like McKinstry.

We stood in the rain for 5 hours in total at our corner, a junction which swept slightly right before a 100 deg left hander. Lots of people were giving it the berries of course and the WRC cars were blindingly quick. Most cars took the corner in two sections. They swept right and flicked the car left into the apex then once they were on the exit they booted it. Spectacular stuff.

I was expecting something really wild from Colin but no, he was the smoothest through the turn. The car almost floated around the bend in one seamless movement. He was way quicker than the other Mk IIs and was on the pace with the WRCs.

Checking on the results the next day in work Colin was 2nd fastest on the second stage of the morning, only beaten by a Subaru WRC. Quite incredible pace in an old Escort.

Legend.
#5 - tristancliffe
Quote from Origamiboy :Well, I've not been fortunate enough to meet the man, but I have great respect for what he has achieved and his attitude to life. I think this video sums up what this motorsport legend was about..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v ... p;mode=related&search=

RIP Colin

That was awesome - edge of the seat stuff, and amazing commitment! And only a second off the win, despite spending a second or two upsidefu***ngdown!
#6 - dadge
#7 - Mackie The Staggie
My cousin, who is a HUGE rally fan, was lucky enough to meet McRae about 5 years ago. At 17, he thought that he would act cool before a true legend, and just talk as if they had raced before. However the time comes, and my cousin acts like a little schoolgirl, smiling and being completely shy (sorry David )

Anyway, he finally gets the courage to speak to Colin and tells him that he too has started to race Rally cars, with that Colin finished signing some kids shirt and decided to offload some of his knowledge. Apparently Colin took an impromptu Q&A session from amateur rally drivers for 40mins before realizing that he was going to be late for a prior arrangement, but didn't mind cause he preferred to talk to fellow drivers than do some business work.

I phoned my cousin last night, he's now 21, and this was the first thing he mentioned, it's the advice that he will remember from now till he gives up the rally.
#8 - ATC Quicksilver
I remember one story but cannot find a video or remember the exact details. Basically Carlos Sainz and McRae were battling it out, Sainz set fastest time on a long stage, then McRae went 5 minutes faster. Sainz asked for a full onboard replay straight away convinced McRae had cheated and cut out a section of the course, but obviously he had not cheated.

Now either I dreamed that, or saw it on an old TV show, it would be great if someone could confirm that or tell me I'm mental and imagine things.
#9 - thisnameistaken
Five minutes faster? What was Sainz doing; stopping for lunch half-way?
#10 - ATC Quicksilver
Quote from thisnameistaken :Five minutes faster? What was Sainz doing; stopping for lunch half-way?

Well if I remember correctly this was back in the day when the stages were very long, and McRae was simply braver. I remember it as 5 minutes, but perhaps it was something like 50 seconds. Thats why I'm asking if its a true story, or if i imagined it.


EDIT: Just went onto one of my favourite sites to see what Jim Bamber has come up with recently, a very nice tribute to McRae is up there.

http://www.jimbamber.co.uk/cgi ... 0McRae&page=2007/0724
#11 - Mazz4200
Quote from Origamiboy :Well, I've not been fortunate enough to meet the man, but I have great respect for what he has achieved and his attitude to life. I think this video sums up what this motorsport legend was about..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v ... p;mode=related&search=

RIP Colin

Never seen this vid before, Wow f***ing awesome, how on earth he didn't have a regular drive in a WRC works team after 2003 is frankly beyond me !

Yunno, reading everyone's post has made me feel really sad, it just seems so unfair that he had to be "taken away" like that, and so young too. He is/was only a year older than me and he achieved so much in his life, yet his best years were probably still to come (hard to explain, but when you get older your priorities change, and you begin to see whats really important in life and that in turn helps you appreciate it and enjoy it even more, (then you hit 50 and become a grumpy old git)) Joking aside, i guess thats the stage Colin was at, really starting to enjoy life for what it was not what he could get from it, then.....he has it taken away.
#12 - thisnameistaken
Quote from Mazz4200 :Never seen this vid before, Wow f***ing awesome, how on earth he didn't have a regular drive in a WRC works team after 2003 is frankly beyond me !

I think it might've been because it was difficult to get a rally team budget big enough to cope with the expenses Colin McRae would inevitably incur.
#13 - 96 GTS
Quote from Origamiboy :Well, I've not been fortunate enough to meet the man, but I have great respect for what he has achieved and his attitude to life. I think this video sums up what this motorsport legend was about..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v ... p;mode=related&search=

RIP Colin

Watching him compated to Travis Pastrana, who is a pretty decent rally driver, is just like night and day. It's absolutely amazing, I'd never seen that video before. Colin was just perfectly in tune with his car, always placing it in exactly the right spot. Pastrana was fighting with the car, still quick, but not nearly as fluid. Just look at the difference in lines on that tight left hand hairpin and the very first lefthander on the pavement, it's just amazing. That's a great video.
#14 - lizardfolk
Quote from 96 GTS :Watching him compated to Travis Pastrana, who is a pretty decent rally driver, is just like night and day. It's absolutely amazing, I'd never seen that video before. Colin was just perfectly in tune with his car, always placing it in exactly the right spot. Pastrana was fighting with the car, still quick, but not nearly as fluid. Just look at the difference in lines on that tight left hand hairpin and the very first lefthander on the pavement, it's just amazing. That's a great video.

I agree Travis, although was still very fast, was slightly off balance on the track.
#15 - Madman_CZ
#16 - Dajmin
I was never fortunate enough to meet the guy, but he had friends who live across the road from my mum's house so we saw him coming and going every now and then.
He used to land his chopper in the field out the back of their house when he was visiting. It was unused farmland, but your guess is as good as mine whether he was actually allowed to land there or not Clearly not only fearless on the track!

The area is currently being developed into more housing. I wonder if he'll get a street named after him, cause that'd be cool...
#17 - ATC Quicksilver

Colin McRae Memories
(17 posts, started )
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