When we talk about McRae rally family, the most rewarded family in the history of British rallying, with eight national championship titles, the first person we think about is the 1995 world champion, Colin McRae. His brother Alister also has an impressive collection of WRC participations, with 76 starts between 1992 and 2012.
But, McRae brothers wouldn’t become famous racers if they didn’t inherit racing genes from their father Jimmy, who is also a rally driver and who won BRC title five times in 1981, 1982, 1984, 1987 and 1988 which as of 2020 still stands.
Early Years
Jimmy began his motorsport career riding in Scottish scrambles (motocross) and he was second placed in the 1969 Scottish ACU Scrambles Championship, riding an Edgar Bros, Edinburgh AJS Y4 250cc Stormer. He started his rallying at the age of 31 driving his own Mk1 Cortina fitted with Lotus running gear followed by an Escort Mk1 twin cam.
The following year he approached SMT and drove a Group 1 Vauxhall Magnum for them culminating in a works drive the following year in a DTV Gp 1 Magnum.
Throughout his career, McRae drove for a number of different teams, including Vauxhall, Opel & Ford reaching a pinnacle during his spell in the Rothmans Rally Team, driving an Opel Manta 400. During his time at Rothmans, his teammates were Ari Vatanen, Walter Röhrl and Henri Toivonen. He then progressed to the MG Metro 6R4.
Magnum Coupe was his car in the WRC debut at the 1976 Lombard RAC Rally, with Ian Muir in the codriver’s seat. Roger Clark won the race, and Jimmy and Ian finished 12th overall.
BRC Success
The first major title McRae has won in 1981, becoming the British Rally Champion, alongside his new co-driver Ian Grindrod. McRae’s victorious car was the Opel Ascona 400. In the World Rally Championship, his only event was the Lombard RAC Rally and he retired again before the end.
In 1982, McRae repeated the BRC triumph with Opel Ascona 400, but what was more important was his entry to the Rothmans Opel Rally Team. His teammates were Walter Rohrl, Henri Toivonen and Ari Vatanen. Jimmy mostly competed in the European Rally Championship, winning four times and finishing as the runner-up behind Italian driver Antonio Fassina.
In the European Rally Championship for drivers, he was runner-up in 1982, while his highest placing in the World Rally Championship was fifteenth in 1983.
McRae remained a member of different Opel teams for three more seasons, winning his third BRC title in 1984, together with Mike Nicholson in the Opel Manta 400. Prior to that, in 1983, he reached his first WRC podium, finishing third in the 1983 Lombard RAC Rally with Rothmans Opel Team’s Manta 400, behind two Audi Quattros.
The participation at 1985 Lombard RAC Rally with Opel Manta 400 for the Opel Euro Team, where he was sixth, was McRae’s last event with Opel. In 1986, the last year of the Group B rally cars, McRae was driving one of those monsters, the MG Metro 6R4 for the Rothmans Rally Team.
He scored few podiums and one win (Ulster Rally) in the international and domestic events, finishing the season in 8th place at Lombard RAC Rally, as a member of the Austin Rover factory team.
5 Time Champ
Ford Sierra RS Cosworth was McRae’s next car. He took two consecutive British rally titles with that car, partnered by Ian Grindrod in 1987 and by Rob Arthur in 1988.
With five titles in total, Jimmy McRae became the most successful driver in the history of the British Rally Championship. In the next couple of years, both of his sons also became British champions, Colin two times (1991 and 1992), Alister once (1995).
Jimmy was also successful in other competitions. He was fourth in the 1987 European Rally Championship (three wins) and sixth in the 1988 ERC (two wins). In November 1987, at Lombard RAC Rally, McRae scored his second WRC podium, finishing third behind Juha Kankkunen and Stig Blomqvist.
At the end of the 1988 season, McRae also tried Toyota, driving the Celica GT-4 for Toyota Team GB at two events, including Lombard RAC Rally. He retired in both events due to technical problems.
The season of 1989 was Jimmy’s last year with full-time participation in some competitions. He continued to drive Ford Sierra RS Cosworth in the British championship and finished third in the points.
Later Years
Although he retired from full-time racing in 1990, Jimmy McRae never stopped attending rally events. He was driving for pleasure, not for points. He was very competitive in the first couple of years of his retirement, winning some podiums with different cars (Ford Sierra RS Cosworth, Opel Vectra 4×4) during 1990 and 1991.
In 1990, McRae tried something else besides rallying. He competed at the British Touring Car Championship. He was driving the BMW M3 for Ecosse Motorsport at Thruxton and Silverstone.
McRae was also a regular guest in the British round of the World Rally Championship. He participated in 1990 (Ford Sierra RS Cosworth, DNF), 1993 (VW Gold GTI, DNF), 1997 (Hyundai Accent, 32nd), 2003 (Subaru Impreza, 17th) and 2004 (Subaru Impreza, DNF).
Ever since he retired, he was occasionally active in the historic rally events. In 2006 he won the Roger Albert Clark Rally in a Stobart Motorsport sponsored Mark 2 Ford Escort.
Since 2014, he expanded his activities, becoming the regular entrant in the British Historic Rally Championship, driving the Vauxhall Firenza all over the Europe, including the Wales Rally GB. For him, obviously, there is no retirement.
