NEWS // COLIN McRAE VOTED 'GREATEST MOTORSPORT HERO'

Rally legend Colin McRae has been voted as the all-time greatest motorsport hero by readers of weekly UK newspaper Motorsport News.

McRae, who won the World Rally Championship for Subaru in 1995, topped the poll ahead of Formula One aces Ayrton Senna and Jim Clark.

Scottish charger McRae, from Lanark, won the hearts of rally fans with his attacking driving style during the 1990s. He drove for the Subaru, Ford, Citroën and Skoda factory teams and won 25 world championship events in his career. He was killed in a helicopter accident in September 2007... [read more]

McRae’s father, Jim, told Motorsport News that he was honoured that Colin had topped the poll: “I don’t think he realised how many followers he had. Colin was very respected and had big support. It really is great news and takes your breath away when you realise the names who were behind him in the poll.”

Motorsport News organised a similar poll ten years ago, and that time McRae finished fourth behind Senna, Clark and Nigel Mansell.

This year’s top 100 features some surprise names from across all disciplines of motorsport. George Polley, a hot rod racer from Cambridgeshire, is 13th on the list, ahead of Formula One champions Lewis Hamilton (25th) and Jenson Button (43rd).

Yorkshire-based potato farmer Steve Bannister, a club rally competitor for more than 30 years, finished 56th, eclipsing former F1 world champion Kimi Räikkönen (72nd), who has recently switched to the World Rally Championship with Citroën.

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Editorial: Neil Tozer
Images and Info: ColinMcRae.com