Five-time British Rally Champion Jimmy McRae will mark his fiftieth anniversary of being in the sport, with a return to the series at the Voyonic Grampian Forest Rally [9/10 August].
He will compete toe-to toe with grandson Max in the Probite British Rally Championship [BRC], who will continue his season with the M-Sport squad behind the wheel of a Ford Fiesta Rally2.
McRae has the marker of being the most successful driver in the history of the championship, having secured the title in 1981, 82’, 84’, 87’ and finally in 1988. The only driver to come close to beating that 35-year record, is Irishman Keith Cronin whose tally stands at four.
To celebrate his half century behind the wheel of a rally car, McRae will tackle the fourth round of this year’s Probite British Rally Championship in a Ford Escort MKI, similar to the very car he claimed “got him noticed” back in the 70’s and the eighty-year-old will be co-driven by M-Sport’s Gail Whyte, a fellow Coltness Car Club member.
“I`d thought for a while that it would be nice to do a Scottish event on my fiftieth year and it wasn’t long before everyone had come together and helped to make it happen for the Grampian,” said McRae.
“It seemed like the perfect event with the BRC heading there and with Max doing it as well, it would be extra special.”
One of the most highly regarded drivers in the sport, McRae’s early career flourished, with works drives for Vauxhall and Ford. At the pinnacle of his career, he spent his time in an Opel Manta 400 with teammates such as Ari Vatanen and Walter Rohrl, before progressing into the iconic MG Metro 6R4. His final BRC title came in 1988 behind the wheel of a Ford Sierra Cosworth.
His world-class legacy remained with sons Colin and Alister, with Colin going on to win the 1995 World Rally Championship and Alister clinching the 1995 British Rally Championship title in a Nissan Sunny. The family tradition continues with Alister’s son Max, who is dovetailing his BRC commitments with a Junior FIA European Rally Championship campaign.
Jimmy’s granddaughter, Colin’s daughter Hollie is also responsible for presenting the on-the-ground ITV4 coverage for the BRC highlights package after every round.
Perhaps predictably, Jimmy is never far away when Max is competing, offering words of encouragement from the sidelines but this time, Jimmy will get behind the wheel to mark a sensational achievement of 50 years in the sport.
Rarely a year goes by where he hasn’t piloted a rally car in some form, whether at Goodwood Festival of Speed or a European show event but in his first competitive gravel outing since 2019, McRae feels honoured to see Jimmy contesting the event.
“It will be very special to have him complete alongside me, obviously in very different machinery” says Max.
“He always tries to be at as many events [that I compete in] as he can and even manages to make some overseas events. He has been a huge help in the development of my driving. From an early age he was getting me into different cars and learning the basics and so it will be very special to see him back competing in a rally.
The Grampian stages hold a fond place in Jimmy’s heart, as one of the first events he did in 1975, the Arbroath Stages, contained the forests used today, and event he went on to win.
“I had journalist George Topp call me up and ask if I wanted to do the rally with the caveat that he would have to co-drive which I wasn’t too sure about at the time. But we went on to win. I hadn’t been in those stages before and we did some farm track tests first, but then headed into the forests and came out of the first one and thought “oh yes,” they were fantastic.”
McRae will use a Ford Escort MK1, the car used by Scottish driver Mike Stuart in the Roger Albert Clark Rally in 2023 and it will mark his first entry into the BRC in over three decades.
“I was lucky enough to compete in probably the best ever era of the British Championship and the sport in general, but it’s really nice to come back in my fiftieth year. It’s a little surreal to think my name may be on the points tables after all these years.”
The Voyonic Grampian Forest Rally is based in Banchory near Aberdeen and takes place over two days, with stages in the Kincardineshire forests, forming the fourth round of the British Rally Championship.
Jimmy McRae
Images courtesy of Jakob Ebrey Photography
