Rally New Zealand mourns death of Colin McRae

17 September 2007
Attention Sports Editors

Rally New Zealand mourns death of Colin McRae

Rally New Zealand organisers are mourning the death of outstanding Scottish driver Colin McRae.

He died in a helicopter accident near his home in Scotland early Sunday morning New Zealand time.

McRae was a favourite of rally fans in this country, having competed in Rally New Zealand on 12 occasions.

He won Rally New Zealand three times in a row from 1993 to 1995, all for Subaru, and is third for most wins in New Zealand behind Marcus Gronholm with five and Carlos Sainz with four victories. In 1995 McRae went on to claim the FIA World Rally Championship.

McRae first competed in Rally New Zealand in 1989 in a two-car team with his father Jimmy McRae, the five-time British champion.

“We at Rally New Zealand are devastated by the news of Colin’s death. He is a great loss to the sport and was a real favourite with rally fans in this country with his spectacular driving style and his outgoing personality,” said Rally New Zealand chairman Chris Carr.

“Colin was a wonderful supporter of Rally New Zealand. On behalf of all of the thousands of volunteers who were involved with our event in the years that Colin competed here, we pass on our sincere condolences to his family."

ENDS

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