The sporting world is reeling from news of the tragic death of Scotland's Colin McRae MBE, his five-year-old son Johnny and two family friends in a helicopter crash yesterday afternoon in Lanarkshire.

Britain's first rallying World Champion was apparently piloting his Squirrel helicopter when it crashed in the trees close to his home.

Our thoughts are with his family - his wife and daughter, father Jimmy McRae who was five times British Rally Champion, Colin's mother, his sister and his British Rally Champion brother Alister.


Colin McRae came up through the ranks of Scottish club competitors. Here he is seen on his way to his first Scottish Championship title on the 1988 Trossachs Rally. (My thanks to Tom Chisholm for correcting me. I had wrongly filed my photo and thought it was the 1989 Snowman Rally.)

The McRaes are a close family and very much part of the army of rally enthusiasts. I remember seeing them all together on countless rally events. When they were not competing they would be found trudging into the forests alongside all the other rally fans to enjoy the competition.

We hope this closeness, combined with the knowledge that others are sharing their grief, will help pull them through this dreadful tragedy.

• Colin McRae's website offers a chance to leave a message of condolence.
• Britain's other World Rally Champion Richard Burns died as a result of a brain tumour.

BBC News report

BBC Sports report

BBC Colin McRae's career

BBC video obituary

BBC Colin McRae's career in pictures

CNN

Sky News

stv

Scotland on Sunday

Sunday Herald

The Telegraph

Press Association

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