Rate this article:
REVIEWED: “Rust In Peace” By Malcolm Tucker
Malcolm Tucker delves into the photographic archives of the celebrated motoring historian Mike Worthington-Williams
Our Price: $49.00
"Le Mans", Starring Steve McQueen
The greatest racing film of all time! Dramatization of a man's tentative participation in the Le Mans race
Our Price: $14.99
“Monaco Grand Prix"
A photographic portrait of the world's most prestigious motor race.
Our Price: $75.00
Signed Bobby Allison Coca-Cola 1/24
1/24-scale die-cast replica is now available and personally autographed by Bobby Allison on the windshield!
Our Price: $54.95
Man-Made Thunder
Examine how the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series has transformed from a performance-based sport into a personality-driven enterprise.
Our Price: $49.00
Written by:
Bill Wood
SPEEDtv.com http://www.speedtv.com
SPEEDtv.com http://www.speedtv.com
10/10/2006 - 07:00 PM
Los Angeles, Calif.
After witnessing the Scot roll over and still just barely miss the gold in the '06 X-Games, Travis Pastrana declared: "McRae is a rallying god." (Tomas Zuccareno/Shazamm/ESPN Images) » More Photos
Many people meet Colin McRae through the handheld controllers of Sony's PlayStation. He's become the icon for PC rallying. Many don't even know there's a real Colin McRae who once was the World Rally Champion and the winningest WRC driver in history.
I met him through his personal handheld controller as he threw a chocolate mousse in my direction.
It was New Year's Eve, 2004, the day before the 2005 Dakar Rally start from Barcelona. I was part of the KTM New Year's Eve Party at the headquarters hotel. But no one in our party, nor the Nissan party next door, could avoid the food fight triggered by Fabrizio Meoni, who was busy celebrating his last birthday. He died in a fatal accident 11 days later during the rally.
I only mention Meoni to put context to the raging invasions (and fun!) taking part between the two parties. My formal introduction to McRae – who was driving in the Dakar Rally for Nissan – came after the midnight horns, balloons, mousse and other culinary celebrations were settling on the floor. The eventual meeting came through my acquaintance with Ari Vatanen – it was a heady night, being introduced to one former rally champion by another former rally champion after a food fight started by one of the greatest motorcycle rally riders in history!
Eighteen months later, when I reintroduced myself to McRae at X Games 12, he smiled as we remembered the parties and Meoni's part in the festivities. McRae is a truly charismatic personality, a common trait among the truly greats as opposed to the many near-greats and ingrates all of us have met in racing and wish we hadn't!
It's the residual of that charisma that's changing American rallying. Few will forget the dramatic way McRae lost the X Games Rally Car Racing gold medal to Travis Pastrana, literally in a cloud-of-dust finish. You had to be there…
But it's the nuance of McRae's brilliance that is changing the sport here. For one, Pastrana hasn't lost
I saw the look in Pastrana's eye at the X Games when he discovered he could go just as fast by slowing down, no doubt a homework assignment from some McRae class.
Codemasters, the company that made McRae's name internationally famous in the PC world, has announced it will put Pastrana into McRae's DIRT off-road video game to be released next year. Travis, obviously, will benefit on several levels through his week or so with McRae.
McRae's grand style and speed made him a WRC star in both reality and in pixels. (LAT photo) » More Photos
But, I learned something else from Tanner Foust, another Vermont Sports Car teammate at X Games. Foust was effusive in his praise of the little things he learned and observed during his week with McRae. This, in fact, will tell you how World Championships are won and how World Champions differentiate themselves.
Foust said he was stunned during a practice session at how fast McRae entered a turn that closed a long straight on a practice stage.
"There was a slight rise entering the turn," Foust related, "and the rest of us were braking into the turn before the rise. Colin was full throttle onto the rise, then he'd stand on the brakes and get through the turn faster." He said McRae later explained that he used the car's brakes and the weight of the car on its collapsed suspension on the rise, to slow the car faster than the traditional technique of braking and accelerating through the turn.
Think of that for a moment. I feel the urge to disclaim the above for all you wanna-bes who will try this and end up launched from some rise into a cathedral of trees. Don't try this in a forest or even at home unless you're willing to crash out of a PC game. McRae is a real professional – he doesn't play one on a PC.
Page 1 of 2
