Hollie McRae, 26, whose world-champion dad died in a helicopter crash, will get in the driver’s seat 30 years to the day since her father became world champion.
09:24, 11 Nov 2025
Hollie wants to become a motorsport journalist(Image: Unknown / Handout)
The daughter of racing legend Colin McRae said her “dad will be with her” when she makes her rally driving debut 30 years to the day he became world rally champion.
Hollie McRae said she “feels like she’s carrying her dad alongside her” as she prepares to step into the rally driving seat next week.
Hollie was just eight years old when her father died, at the age of 39, when a helicopter he was piloting crashed near their home in Lanark. It was a tragedy that shook their family and the world of motorsport to its core.
Hollie’s five-year-old brother, Johnny, and family friends Graeme Duncan, 37, and six-year-old Ben Porcelli were also killed in the crash on September 15, 2007.
In the years that followed, rally events were too painful for her mother, Alison, who avoided them, and it vanished from young Hollie’s life. However, the young woman became more drawn to the sport as the years went on.
Colin McRae celebrates his World Rally Championship win in 1995.(Image: Handout / unknown)
The 26-year-old told the BBC: “There are going to be a lot of emotions and something I don’t necessarily think I’ve grasped the full gravity of yet.
“It will, I suppose, be the closest I’ve ever felt to experience even the slightest bit of what my dad might have felt 30 years ago and I just need to enjoy it.
“To be able to do it on the RAC rally, on this weekend, 30 years since he won the championship himself, it is something very special.”
Hollie started welcoming the driving of opportunities that kept coming her way – eventually conceding that she was only denying herself her passion because she was worried about what other people would think.
Colin had won the British rally championship in 1991 and 1992, and then triumphed by winning the world title in 1995, becoming the first Briton to do so and its then-youngest winner.
Hollie will make her own competitive driving debut at Kielder Forest in Northumberland in the Roger Albert Clark (RAC) Rally. It is described as “the longest and toughest” special stage rally in the UK.
Colin McRae and his helicopter (Image: Handout / unknown)
Hollie will be behind the wheel of a Mini rally car. She says she is still in disbelief that it is going to happen.
It shouldn’t be a surprise, though. Hollie comes from an acclaimed motorsport family. As well as dad, her grandfather Jimmy McRae was British champion five times in the 1980s and her uncle Alister competed at the top level.
Despite this, up until recently, Hollie’s life path was going in a different direction. She was teaching primary school pupils in Glasgow, but decided to ditch the profession in 2022 to focus on motorsport media and presenting.
She set up her own media firm and became a familiar face at rally events. She has already had a stint at Fife’s Knockhill racing track and interviewed drivers at the historic festival Rally Legends in San Marino in 2022.
Hollie previously told the Record: “Motor racing is very much in my blood. I suppose I was always going to have that natural draw to motorsport purely because of the family connection but it’s also something I really love.”
Hollie says her mum is “quite excited” about the prospect of another member of the family settling into the driving seat, although she was initially concerned about “another one” taking up the sport considering the family’s past.
Hollie says her mother now trusts she’s doing it with good intentions – to be fun and safe.
Hollie will partner with Jon Armstrong, one of the FIA European Rally Championship’s top drivers, as her co-driver for the Mini challenge on Saturday 22 November.
It comes after a museum showcasing the career and sporting achievements of rally star Colin McRae was set up at his former motorsport headquarters in Lanark by his wife and daughter just last year.
The building was transformed to display Colin’s array of trophies plus memorabilia ranging from helmets and framed race suits from throughout his career to racing publications and the video games in which he featured.
Hollie, announced the news and showed the early progress on the sporting collection online which gained thousands of reactions – with the news being warmly welcomed by fans hoping to be able to visit in the future.
Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community!
Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today.
You’ll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland.
No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team.
All you have to do is click here, select ‘Join Community’ and you’re in!
We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like.
To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose ‘exit group’.
If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
