Rally star Colin McRae has died at age 39 in a tragic helicopter accident.
He was the star of many of Codemaster’s racing games, including the Colin McRae Rally series, named after him, the most recent entry in the series being Colin McRae: Dirt, for the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.
He was killed Sunday in a fatal helicopter crash that he was piloting near his home in Lanark Scotland. Also perishing along with him were his 6-year-old son and two family friends. The cause of the crash is still being investigated at this time.
McRae entered the Scottish World Rally Championship (WRC) circuit in 1987, and gained notoriety after winning his first of 25 championships in 1993. McRae won the World Rally Championship world title in 1995, and finished runner-up in 1996, 1997, and 2001. He officially retired from rally racing in 2004, though he subsequently competed in several other races including the X Games and 24 hours of Le Mans. In 1996, he was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire, a major honor in the UK.
Once McRae reached the status of a superstar in the rally racing circuit CodeMaster’s took the opportunity and tapped him for the debut of their Colin McRae Rally series, which released in the UK in 1998 for the PC and PS1. The game eventually made it’s way to North America in 2000. The game has since spawned five sequels, including the aforementioned Dirt.
In response to this horrible and unforeseen tragedy, CodeMaster’s released this statement: “For over ten years, Colin was part of the Codemaster’s family and it was a privilege to have a man recognized as a true legend on the team. He always took a keen interest in the game experience, wanting to make sure it was without equal in its portrayal of the sport.”
No doubt he will be missed and we extend our condolences to his family and friends.