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The Colin McRae Challenge Event Revealed

Part 1.

Today we’re going to reveal the Colin McRae Challenge – a unique event in Colin McRae: DiRT 2, and a tribute to the late, great man himself.

Colin was an inspiring figure to motorsport fans and gamers around the world. His ‘on the edge’ (and often over it!) driving style endeared him to millions, and we at Codemasters were privileged to work closely with him over 10 years of Colin McRae racing games, where his knowledge, technical expertise and enthusiasm for gaming was invaluable, and irreplaceable. We wanted to do something special, beyond honouring his memory by continuing to use his name in the game’s title (a decision taken in conjunction with his family) but by celebrating his life throughout the game.

First we’ve created a challenge that is DiRT 2’s pinnacle event. And it’s something a little bit special, a bit different, and we hope he would have liked it. The event is inspired by 2008’s Colin McRae Forest Stages, where rally stars from across the world came together in Colin’s memory, including former World Rally Champions Ari Vatanen,Björn Waldegård and Hannu Mikkola, Alistair and Jimmy McRae, Kris Meeke, Ken Block and Travis Pastrana and many more to race the special stage, many in Ford Escort MKIIs. Check out this great vid of the day and some of the stars racing. Those Escorts sounds amazing.

So here it is: the Colin McRae Challenge - a spectacular 3 stage Rally set across Malaysia, Croatia and China featuring a line up of Colin’s family and friends from across the world of motorsport, presented by The Colin McRae Vision charity.

You’ll get to race against former WRC Champion Ari Vatanen, legendary motorbike racer Valentino Rossi and former F1 driver David Coulthard in this unique event. Once you’ve competed in it, you unlock the Colin McRae Tribute video which celebrates some of Colin’s finest, most exciting, and most sideways moments!

The car you’re racing? Colin’s Ford Escort MKII! Check out the story of how Colin was involved in developing this vehicle with DJM motorsport here.

Colin McRae Challenge Competitors:

1. Jimmy McRae – Colin’s father and 5 times British Champion rally driver. Good interview here.

2. Alistair McRae – Colin’s brother and rally driver – here’s him pulling off some amazing donuts during this killer run.

3. Ari Vatanen – legendary former WRC champion – check out this famous Pike’s Peek run here.

4. David Coulthard – F1 driver and close friend, who raced in the Japan Suzuka Grand Prix in 2007 wearing a unique helmet in tribute to Colin.

5. Valentino Rossi – ‘The Doctor’ is one the leading stars of world motorsport who famously raced against Colin in 2005. He might have been in a better car though!

6. Dario Franchitti – Scottish Indy car driver, the most successful British driver in the US, and friend of Colin. Insane crash here.

7. Ken Block – Colin was Ken’s inspiration for getting into Rally, became a mentor figure to him and they competed against each other at X Games.

8. You!

The rally itself is presented by The Colin McRae Vision, a charity foundation set up to use the profile of Colin’s name and achievements to raise funds for charitable and worthwhile causes. The ‘Vision’ participates in a number of fundraising events each year, including the world-famous Goodwood Festival of Speed, where Codemasters were proud to partner with them to supply a Colin McRae: DiRT 2 game area where gamers and rally stars like Sebastian Loeb and Kris Meeke got their hands on the game.

The Colin McRae Vision Background:

In the aftermath of the tragic helicopter accident in September 2007, and the incredible response from the public via phone calls, letters, e-mails and at the Memorial Service in Lanark, the McRae family decided that it might be possible to utilise the profile of Colin’s name and achievements to raise funds for charitable and worthwhile causes.

A Deed of Trust was established in the name of ‘The Colin McRae Vision’ and the application for Charitable Status duly submitted to the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) in January 2008. After due consideration and due diligence to ensure that compliance with the ‘Charity test’ as laid out in Sections 7 and 8 of the Charity and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 the ‘Vision’ was granted Charitable Status and entered on the Scottish Charity Register with the Charity Number: SC039506.

Aims and Objectives

1) Charitable Purposes

In terms of the approved causes set out in the Charities and Investments (Scotland) Act 2005, the following are the main areas in which ‘The Colin McRae Vision’ seeks to operate:

· The advancement of education

· The advancement of the arts, heritage, culture or science

· The advancement of public participation in sport

· The provision of recreational facilities, or the organisation of recreational activities, with the object of improving the conditions of life for the persons for whom the facilities or activities are primarily intended

· Any other purpose that may reasonably be regarded as analogous to any of the preceding purposes.

2) Delivery

This will take place through the following initial strategies:

· Supporting causes and initiatives, particularly for the benefit of

underprivileged children.

· Education of young participants involved in motor sport, in particular in relation to the advancement of their motor skills and safety awareness

· Encouraging and facilitating young people to participate in

motorsport and to develop their talent

· Promotion and preservation of the Scottish heritage in motor sporting success, in particular through joint ventures with the Scottish Museum of Transport

You can find out more about the good work The Colin McRae Vision charity is involved in and how to contribute and participate by visiting their website.

As well as this key event, we also have a lot of references to Colin and his career peppered throughout the game – some subtle which you’ll have to keep your eye out for, some less so. A good example is that the first car you unlock in the game is the Subaru Impreza STI Group N carrying the No Fear Livery from X Games XIII, and if you’ve got a DiRT save on your system, you’ll also get the Gold No Fear livery he sported in X Games XII where he went into a huge barrel roll after a jump, landed on his tyres and immediately drove off, narrowly missing out on the win. There’s not many drivers who would have been thinking about whether they could still race on while they were upside down! Classic McRae. Other vehicles include that Escort MK II and the Colin McRae R4, plus you’ll find liveries, images and video clips throughout the game.

Part 2.

Finally to wrap up, we’ve got a few words from some of the key guys involved in making the game:

Codemasters Senior Executive Producer Gavin Raeburn on Colin McRae:

“Colin McRae was all about the speed, the excitement and the entertainment of rally driving. Even when we first worked with him over ten years ago, he captured a freedom and a spirit that enthralled rally fans. Later his showmanship shone through in events such as the X-games, the Dakar Rally and the Race of Champions. He could do things with a car that no one else would and that’s where we’re taking the series with new events at the extreme edge of rally and autosport. It will be a great tribute to an incredible champion.”

Subaru Team Rally USA driver and Colin: McRae DiRT 2 Technical Consultant Ken Block:

“Colin McRae is one of the main reasons that I am a rally driver. He is a big inspiration to me and the way I drive my rally car. It’s really an honour to be a contributor to the creation of Colin McRae: DiRT 2 and to be able to continue the passion that Colin had for rally and for these videogames.”

Matthew Horsman, Chief Games Designer, on creating Colin McRae DiRT 2

“Colin is hugely missed by all at Codemasters. We’re proud that this game will carry his name again, and while we’ve all felt extra pressure and expectation, we hope we’ve delivered a game that he would have had a blast with. We think fans will enjoy the chance to take on rallies and events in some of Colin’s most famous cars, taking on the special Colin McRae Challenge and reliving some of those moments that made Colin such a unique talent and the most exciting driver of his generation.”

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