Remembering Colin Mcrae

[N.O.T]

10 years after your demise there wont be too many threads missing you N.O.T.
Nearly 20 thousand posts each as pitiful as the last...
You are a sad human and a deficient being.
May you have the day you deserve.

as long as i have not killed any children due to my incompetence or stupidity.... i am happy to be forgotten....

[Rally Power]

For the talent, passion and commitment Colin showed through his career, he will always be remembered as one of the greatest of our sport. His rally legacy should be praised by all, no matter how regrettably his life ended.

[mknight]

True, but while his rally legacy is for sure impressive I think it's a bit out of place to name him one of the top 3-5 greatest rally drivers of all time like British fans and journalists like to do.

[Norm75]

True, but while his rally legacy is for sure impressive I think it's a bit out of place to name him one of the top 3-5 greatest rally drivers of all time like British fans and journalists like to do.

I think it's a bit more widespread than British fans and journalists.
How many rally drivers has everyone heard of? Not many I doubt.
On statistics alone, Colin may not be the greatest, but stats never tell the whole story.
In fact, Motorsport in general there are only a handful of people that most people have heard of, the likes of Sterling Moss, Barry Sheene, Micheal Schumacher, Valentino Rossi, Ayrton Senna and of course Colin.

For this reason, it is no surprise that Colin's life is celebrated. He is not only one of rallyings greats, but motorsports in general. He died, and tragically, so did other people due to an accident. They happen, and Colin certainly wouldn't have intended it to.

[car]

True, but while his rally legacy is for sure impressive I think it's a bit out of place to name him one of the top 3-5 greatest rally drivers of all time like British fans and journalists like to do.

Do you not think he is in the top 3, or do you think it is inappropriate to say so, given the nature of his death?

[Simmi]

True, but while his rally legacy is for sure impressive I think it's a bit out of place to name him one of the top 3-5 greatest rally drivers of all time like British fans and journalists like to do.

Pretty b.s. statement to claim it's only the Brits that do that. I guess it's the Brits that go and paint his name on the road in Fafe each year...


The irony is that as a Brit he wouldn't be in my top five. But I'll re-purpose a post of mine from last year in this same thread.


In a 2016 issue of Motorsport News they asked WRC drivers past and present to list their top five rally drivers of all time. McRae came out second to Loeb in the list. Undoubtedly there are drivers with better stats, who achieved more in their careers than Colin. What people respected above all else was his commitment behind the wheel.

[mknight]

Talking just about his performance and "fame". Keeping his death completely out of it.

From results the top for the last 40 years are obviously Loeb, Makkinen, Kankkunen, Ogier, Gronholm, Sainz, Biasion, Rohl.

Combining results and "other factors" you still end up with most of these on top, then you get some "2nd line" drivers that for different reasons are more remembered, ex. Vatanen due to among others Pikes Peak, Argentina crash and Dakar, Mouton for being on top in male-dominated sport, Toivonen, Solberg, Burns... and also McRae, for him the big factors are the first good rallygame and how he ended. Off course this is highly subjective but for me it's not enough for top 3, especially if keeping his end out of it.

Pretty b.s. statement to claim it's only the Brits that do that. I guess it's the Brits that go and paint his name on the road in Fafe each year...
The irony is that as a Brit he wouldn't be in my top five. But I'll re-purpose a post of mine from last year in this same thread.
In a 2016 issue of Motorsport News they asked WRC drivers past and present to list their top five rally drivers of all time. McRae came out second to Loeb in the list. Undoubtedly
there are drivers with better stats, who achieved more in their careers than Colin. What people respected above all else was his commitment behind the wheel.

2016 issue of the British Motorsport News, case in point? Also I'd guess most of the drivers asked knew him in one way or another and it was also after his death.

Anyway when you don't look at results it clearly becomes very subjective, which is why Colin is not a clear top 3 from me. Call it what you want.

[BigWorm]

The most popular and recognizable - undoubtedly. One of the fastest in raw pace too. But is he among the top 5? Not in my eyes.

People say he should have more than 1 title, but I don't think so. Yes, he could have, but in the end he got beaten to it.

[AL14]

True, but while his rally legacy is for sure impressive I think it's a bit out of place to name him one of the top 3-5 greatest rally drivers of all time like British fans and journalists like to do.

I don't agree with the british part: a lot of people in all Europe affirm that. But me too I don't think he was a legend. An icon for sure but not among the top5 of all times.

[AndyRAC]

I don't know what it says about him or the sport, but he's still the biggest name in UK rallying. It might not mean much to non Brits, but he placed 3rd in 1995, in the BBC's Sport Personality of the Year; for a niche/ minority sport which was hardly on TV was incredible.