Colin McRae: Mixed Emotions...

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PostRe: Colin McRae: Mixed Emotions...
by Octoroc » Tue Jan 29, 2013 8:51 am

Sounds like a bit of a twat. The sort of person you dread going bowling with.

So far this year, I have eaten NO mince pies.
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PostRe: Colin McRae: Mixed Emotions...
by Poser » Tue Jan 29, 2013 9:05 am

I'll reserve judgement til I've seen the documentary; genuine thanks, Cal, for bringing it to my attention or I'd have missed it.

I always liked him, but he did always come across as very short tempered and surly. Typical dour Scotsman: 10x worse than Andy Murray before his sponsors (and girlfriend) told him to cheer up.

Of course, there's nothing wrong with any of the above, and as people have said above, it was his ability to drive right on the very edge/limit was what set him apart.

Look forward to watching it.

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PostRe: Colin McRae: Mixed Emotions...
by bongofoot » Tue Jan 29, 2013 9:14 am

Lotus wrote:When I was into WRC I always rooted for McRae, after Burns.

Was a real shame when he died (sadly that applies to Burns and McRae) but I don't really see the need to level blame at him or anything. It was an accident, they happen, and whether he was being reckless or not, he's dead - not much point discussing it IMO.



Out of interest are you aware of the circumstances of the accident? Whilst I agree accidents do indeed happen if that accident is the direct result of somebody's reckless behaviour then it certainly casts a different picture on things.

I agree that there isn't much point in discussing it as things are now done but I think the point is that the documentary certainly portrayed McRae in a positive and at times almost idolatry light which does seem strange when you consider that his traits that many enjoyed in the sporting arena became the very traits that led to the death of 2 kids.

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PostRe: Colin McRae: Mixed Emotions...
by Lotus » Tue Jan 29, 2013 9:22 am

I haven't seen the documentary, but as far as I know his licence had expired, and the exact cause of the crash hasn't ever been determined.

He shouldn't have been flying with the licence, but having a valid licence doesn't necessarily mean the crash wouldn't have happened. We don't know if there was a technical issue, or what exactly happened, and we never will for sure.

It probably was his fault, but saying he was a banana split and blaming him doesn't change anything. Would be different if he'd survived of course, and his kids had died, but that isn't the case.

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PostRe: Colin McRae: Mixed Emotions...
by Pancake » Tue Jan 29, 2013 9:25 am

I don't know, I didn't think the documentary was too unnreservedly positive! The purpose of it was to look at his driving talent (which he is deservedly idolised for) but it didn't exactly shy away from the circumstances of the crash. Obviously Hoy being a big fan added an element of bias but it could have been far worse.

It just seems too simple to say 'he caused a crash that killed two innocent children and therefore he was a banana split'. It tarnishes his reputation and he was clearly no Mother Teresa but he wasn't exactly Jimmy Saville either.

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PostRe: Colin McRae: Mixed Emotions...
by Cal » Tue Jan 29, 2013 9:55 am

Pancake wrote:I don't know, I didn't think the documentary was too unnreservedly positive! The purpose of it was to look at his driving talent (which he is deservedly idolised for) but it didn't exactly shy away from the circumstances of the crash. Obviously Hoy being a big fan added an element of bias but it could have been far worse.


Agreed. I was genuinely surprised when the programme revealed the findings of the Air Accident Investigation, heaping the balance of blame for it on McRae. I hadn't heard about this (although it had been reported quite widely at the time, somehow it had passed me by). As I said, I have very mixed feelings about the man. In his career, depending on who you ask he was either incredibly brave or dangerously reckless. It's a tragic irony that his risk-taking ended up killing him at the controls of a helicopter rather than a rally car. Such an unhappy story, all round.

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PostRe: Colin McRae: Mixed Emotions...
by Mini E » Tue Jan 29, 2013 10:01 am

I miss the days of putting on the TV and seeing Colin McRae and Richard Burns smashing a stage on a saturday morning :(

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PostRe: Colin McRae: Mixed Emotions...
by Lotus » Tue Jan 29, 2013 10:04 am

Mini E wrote:I miss the days of putting on the TV and seeing Colin McRae and Richard Burns smashing a stage on a saturday morning :(

Aye, those were the days. I only recognise Loeb from the current roster. :(

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PostRe: Colin McRae: Mixed Emotions...
by Pancake » Tue Jan 29, 2013 10:07 am

Both the WRC and BTCC were epic in the 90s but they've both gone downhill since. BTCC in particular. :(

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PostRe: Colin McRae: Mixed Emotions...
by False » Tue Jan 29, 2013 10:08 am

Theres still a few names on the roster worth seeing, but Loeb has killed the sport for sure. Its a good job hes finally retired, but it'll be a long long time (if ever) till WRC is worth watching. For now Ill stick with my amateur hillclimbs on youtube.

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PostRe: Colin McRae: Mixed Emotions...
by abcd » Tue Jan 29, 2013 10:26 am

Octoroc wrote:Sounds like a bit of a twat. The sort of person you dread going bowling with.



:shock:

:lol:

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PostRe: Colin McRae: Mixed Emotions...
by TigaSefi » Tue Jan 29, 2013 12:03 pm

Colin as a driver was a bit of a twat too. If he reined his natural instincts to go as fast as possible, he could have more WRC titles to his name. And if he reined in a bit as well as a helicopter pilot too...........

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PostRe: Colin McRae: Mixed Emotions...
by Gandalf » Tue Jan 29, 2013 12:55 pm

Whoa! I didn't know he was taking risks and flying the 'copter like a twat?! I thought it was a genuine accident. And when there are other lives involved, particularly kids, then there's no excuse. What an idiot.

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PostRe: Colin McRae: Mixed Emotions...
by Pancake » Tue Jan 29, 2013 12:56 pm

TigaSefi wrote:If he reined his natural instincts to go as fast as possible, he could have more WRC titles to his name.

This is true.

I always think that there are two types of successful racing driver and there are examples of them in pretty much any motorsport; those who win on pure speed alone and those who truly understand the 'art' of winning. The first lot, guys like Senna and McRae, are almost scary to watch because they're fearless, relentlessly committed and able to hold a car right on the edge of its limits. They're often the most revered drivers because they're always pushing the boundaries of speed but they're rarely the most statistically successful. The second lot, guys like Schumacher (or Prost) and Loeb, are often less exciting and therefore less revered but they are almost always the most successful because their undoubted talent is coupled with an understanding of the bigger picture and of all the tiny little details that are necessary to winning a championship.

In my opinion, anyway...

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PostRe: Colin McRae: Mixed Emotions...
by Poser » Tue Jan 29, 2013 12:56 pm

OK, wait... did the documentary say for sure that he was piloting like a twat, before the internet has a shit-fit?

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PostRe: Colin McRae: Mixed Emotions...
by Poser » Tue Jan 29, 2013 1:01 pm

Pancake wrote:
In my opinion, anyway...


I don't think there's any reason to add IMO there, I think you're bang on the money.

The more spectacular sportspeople will always be the more revered, but usually the most flawed. To look at other sports... Best, Maradona, Gazza - all idolised for their skills, but had massive off-field problems. Ronnie O'Sullivan - simply hasn't had as much success as his talent would indicate he should have done. Tiger Woods turned out to be a massive shagger.

There are loads, anyway... :lol:

The ones like Pele, Messi, Rafa Nadal, are in the minority because they combine flair with the 'right' lifestyle.

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PostRe: Colin McRae: Mixed Emotions...
by Pancake » Tue Jan 29, 2013 1:07 pm

^ good point!

As for the documentary, it didn't add anything original to what is already known about the accident. It briefly went over what the official inquiry had discovered, which was simply that the accident could have been avoided if McRae had not been taking unnecessary risks.

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PostRe: Colin McRae: Mixed Emotions...
by bongofoot » Tue Jan 29, 2013 2:28 pm

Poser wrote:OK, wait... did the documentary say for sure that he was piloting like a twat, before the internet has a shit-fit?



The actual official inquiry at the time found that McRae was at fault and was taking unnecessary risks...it was also noted that the parents of the other little lad killed in the crash had never been asked if it was ok for him to go into the helicopter and had no idea that McRae had taken him into the helicopter until after the accident.

I don't think the documentary added anything new to the enquiry findings etc but I would have liked to have seen a slightly more challenging take on the man himself in light of this serious character flaw and its repercussions rather than the general love in the documentary presented.

Maybe that is for another time.

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PostRe: Colin McRae: Mixed Emotions...
by Poser » Tue Jan 29, 2013 2:33 pm

bongofoot wrote:
Poser wrote:OK, wait... did the documentary say for sure that he was piloting like a twat, before the internet has a shit-fit?



The actual official inquiry at the time found that McRae was at fault and was taking unnecessary risks...it was also noted that the parents of the other little lad killed in the crash had never been asked if it was ok for him to go into the helicopter and had no idea that McRae had taken him into the helicopter until after the accident.

I don't think the documentary added anything new to the enquiry findings etc but I would have liked to have seen a slightly more challenging take on the man himself in light of this serious character flaw and its repercussions rather than the general love in the documentary presented.

Maybe that is for another time.


OK, fair enough, I wasn't aware of that.

I'm very keen to see this documentary now, mind. I'll watch it with your comments in mind as I'd imagine it changes thing slightly.

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PostRe: Colin McRae: Mixed Emotions...
by bongofoot » Tue Jan 29, 2013 2:39 pm

Yep, the documentary is well worth watching if only to see the look again that Grist gives McRae after a spectacular crash which wiped out a certain WC win...he only needed to finish the stage but drove on the edge and cut a corner and lost it.

Anyway...a link here to see how mad he was. Amazing Scenes!

http://youtu.be/a5TcuMGAoVE


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